When it comes to comic book movies that desperately need a reboot, quite a few titles come to mind. Howard the Duck. Ghost Rider.
And of course, Daredevil, which was a big let down when it came out in 2003. (In fact, it had the same director as Ghost Rider, Mark Steven Johnson, who didn’t do a bang up job with either franchise.)
It’s diffcult to believe it’s been ten years since the failed Daredevil movie, so it’s definitely time for an update, no? As we’ve reported previously on TG, there was a race to try and remake Daredevil last summer at Fox before the rights went back to Marvel, and Joe Carnahan (Narc) was up to direct. David Slade (Twilight) was also up to helm a Daredevil reboot as well.
Carnahan was hoping to make Daredevil in a gritty 70’s style, and at the time he was also planning to remake the 70’s revenge film Death Wish, which clearly influenced his decision to make Daredevil more urban. At one point Brad Caleb Kane, who wrote for Fringe, also crafted a script for a new model Daredevil as well.
Eventually the rights revered back to Marvel, and the reboot that Fox was trying to put together last summer fell apart. So with a second phase of Marvel films coming up, starting with Iron Man 3, and titles for a third phase currently being rumored, including Doctor Strange and The Black Panther, could a Daredevil reboot also be part of the next wave of comic flicks?
Well, nobody knows for sure right now, but Collider feels the film wouldn’t be a harder- edged reboot if it indeed happens, because Marvel is owned by Disney, and Shane Black recently said that he was discouraged from making a darker Iron Man film for the studio.
Nevertheless, the movie doesn’t have to be dark to be good, and these days there have been many superhero films trying to be darker, maybe a more traditional approach would be better for Daredevil. If he becomes part of the third phase for Marvel movies, we probably won’t see a reboot any time soon, although it would be nice to see him back on the big screen, along with a Doctor Strange movie. (I’m still hoping for another try at Howard the Duck, but I may be in a cult of one on this).
Last summer, when we reported on the Daredevil reboot that didn’t come together, we wondered if comic movies would reach a critical mass with so many of them hitting theaters over the next few years, including Thor 2, the upcoming Iron Man 2, Guardians of the Universe, Avengers 2, and more. Could Daredevil just be one more on the pile, or can it really rise above and kick ass? We think it could go either way, and we’d love to potentially find out with a great actor in the lead, a solid script, and a strong director who can bring it all to life.
