Here Comes Daredevil?

Daredevil 26

With the success of both Iron Man and Dark Knight, Hollywood is desperate for the next big thing. Growing up as a comic fan I was a fan of Batman but Daredevil was where it was at. While playboy Bruce Wayne fought madmen and monsters Matt Murdock attempted to juggle a normal life as he battled the mobsters and assassins of Hell’s Kitchen. Dead girlfriends and a painfully sensitive hearing affliction made Daredevil‘s life a never-ending drama. The super villains just added a bit of spice.

Like many comic fans I was overjoyed at the news of a Daredevil feature film. Imagine my disappointment when I saw the finished product. The best of intentions went into the movie but in the end it was a mess. Lately I’ve found myself re-watching Daredevil in a kind of strange fascination… but I fast-forward through almost half of it. The action is quite interesting and the story (in the Director’s Cut) is a decent one… but the entire production is marred by bad casting. From Ben Affleck in the title role to scenery-munching Colin Farrel as Bullseye the whole movie is a disaster of bad acting.

Soon after the film’s release (a $45,033,454 opening weekend made it Marvel‘s fifth hit film in a row), stories started about the inevitable sequel… but star Affleck referred to his own performance as an embarrassment.

At this year’s New York Comic Con, the rumor mill started turning again. Frank Miller and John Statham announced that they would like to work on a Daredevil flick. First Daredevil film director Mark Steven Johnson mentioned that he had deep interest in a sequel featuring Mr. Fear or even an adaption of the classic story ‘Born Again.’ I’m still doubtful of a Frank Miller production after seeing the Spirit trailer, but Statham certainly has the action chops.

The suspected direction of the hypothetical sequel would fit with the general design of Incredible Hulk which instead of following the events of the first movie attempted to blot out its memory. But Daredevil (say what you will about it) was a blockbuster… should it be forgotten?

While I think there is the possibility of a very good Daredevil movie in the universe I have to ask, does it need to be made?