Marvel’s upcoming series Daredevil: Born Again is set to undergo a creative overhaul, with the studio parting ways with the show’s writers and directors.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel “quietly let go” of head writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman, along with directors attached to the series in late September because the show “wasn’t working”.
It’s said the decision was made after Marvel executives reviewed the shot footage so far, after production on the project paused in mid-June during the writers’ strike.
Marvel is said to be searching for new writers and directors for the project, as part of an overhaul in direction for the series. Corman and Ord, however, will still be credited as executive producers.
Daredevil: Born Again will see Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio reprise their roles as Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk respectively from Netflix’s Daredevil series, which came to an end in 2018 after three seasons.
According to THR, sources claim Corman and Ord created a legal procedural series with Daredevil: Born Again that “did not resemble the Netflix version”, with less emphasis on action and violence.
The overhaul on Daredevil: Born Again is part of a wider creative rethink on how Marvel approaches television. It’s said the company is now planning to hire showrunners and full-time TV executives, instead of having executives across both films and television.
Speaking to the outlet, Marvel’s head of streaming, television and animation, Brad Winderbaum, said: “We need executives that are dedicated to the medium, that are going to focus on streaming, focus on television, because they are two different forms.”
Following the reports, D’Onofrio addressed the show’s overhaul on X, writing: “We are going to bring forward the best series we can. One we can be proud of.”
Unless you really know what’s going there’s a chance you could be wrong about this statement.
We are going to bring forward the best series we can. One we can be proud of.
Have some trust my freind, trust.
— Vincent D’Onofrio (@vincentdonofrio) October 11, 2023
Marvel recently debuted the second season of Loki on Disney+. Other planned shows for Phase Five include Echo, Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, and Ironheart.
The rethink comes after Marvel’s Secret Invasion was the company’s worst-received series so far, holding a 54 per cent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Production on Daredevil: Born Again is set to resume once the SAG-AFTRA strike comes to an end.