Amid the writers’ strike, Charlie Cox’s upcoming Daredevil: Born Again suspended its production in mid-June. In the following months, studio executives, alongside Kevin Feige, after evaluating less than half of its 18 episodes that had been shot before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, realized that the endeavor wasn’t working. This led the company to tacitly let go of head writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman in late September. The series’ remaining episodic directors were also removed.
Read also: Charlie Cox Had A Scathing Criticism For Ben Affleck’s Daredevil!
According to The Hollywood Reporter’s most recent report, Corman and Ord will continue to serve as executive producers on Born Again. The show, however, has chosen to press the reset button to reconfigure its creative viewpoint. Marvel Studios’ quest to hire new scribes and directors for the Charlie Cox-led series has begun. But what could’ve led to this drastic, sudden change?
It stems from them realizing that straying away from the traditional TV model has hampered its recent shows’ reception. Their formulaic Marvel-based creative structure will incorporate elements of conventional television production. The recent overhaul is indicative of this change.
Marvel Studios Called For Charlie Cox’s Daredevil: Born Again‘s Creative Overhaul
Is the company finally listening to the fans who have long complained about its TV production business model? According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio would rely on a method that involved shooting entire $150 million-plus TV seasons on the spot rather than commissioning series’ pilots. Instead of appointing showrunners, it focused on film executives being employed to oversee and carry out its shows.
Thus, as part of the updated strategy, showrunners will be recruited, pilots will be created, and “show bibles” will be developed instead of filming complete seasons. This choice seems to reflect Kevin Feige‘s desire to exert more creative control in light of recent endeavors that have failed to maintain audience interest, satisfy viewers, and win audiences’ favor. One of its recent bummers was evidenced by Samuel L. Jackson‘s miniseries Secret Invasion.
Read also: Was Marvel Judged Too Soon For ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Rating?
The show’s decline in reception and viewership must have had a hand in calling for this restructure. It is said to have also suffered development setbacks.
According to THR, Kyle Bradstreet worked on the Secret Invasion scripts for a year before being let go. New talents were hired as writers and directors. Insider reports have claimed that during its production, there were weeks of people erupting at each other and competition for control. This must explain what went wrong with the endeavor.
In the case of Daredevil: Born Again, the executives’ choice to press the reset button was driven by how the plot developed by former head writers Ord and Corman conflicted with the Netflix iteration, which was hailed for its action-packed and violent narrative. As per THR, sources claimed that leading star Charlie Cox didn’t appear in his iconic costume until the fourth episode.
The goal has become to reconsider the original purpose of the story. It will be geared around how precisely they would attract viewers rather than leading them away with haphazard, lackluster MCU TV series.
A Cultural Marriage Between Marvel And Traditional Television
Disney+ will transition to producing television content in a more “traditional” manner. Brad Winderbaum, Marvel’s head of streaming, television, and animation, stated the following to THR when mentioning the need to adhere to conventional TV production principles:
“We’re trying to marry the Marvel culture with the traditional television culture. It comes down to, ‘How can we tell stories in television that honor what’s so great about the source material?’”
Charlie Cox’s upcoming MCU endeavor doesn’t intend to waste its progress. The studio plans on preserving specific scenes, footage, and episodes even though an overhaul has already started. Additional serialized components will be added.
We are curious if these changes will enhance Daredevil: Born Again‘s narrative style. The reported decision to draw away from the series’ legal procedural tone and introduce elements that match the successful 3-season Daredevil Netflix show is intriguing. Nonetheless, it’s seemingly the right step in addressing the problem that became typical of recent MCU shows. After recent disappointments, will fans finally get a fresh look at the franchise? We’ll find out soon.
Kevin Feige has answered the MCU’s wake-up call, and its revamped TV development process will introduce the process of bringing aboard showrunners. The franchise’s previous reliance on reshoots and postproduction to mend what wasn’t working is now being reinvented.
Charlie Cox’s Daredevil: Born Again will be part of Phase Five of the MCU, and it is already confirmed for a second season. The first installment of the over-hauled show is reportedly not anticipated to premiere before January 2025.
