1989’s The Trial of the Incredible Hulk was a made-for-television movie that served as a backdoor pilot for a Daredevil television series. The film also introduced viewers to Matt Murdock / Daredevil and Wilson Fisk / Kingpin. However, before they could go on to headline their own series, plans were scrapped for an unexpected reason.
According to actor Rex Smith, who played Daredevil in the movie, there was every intention for the backdoor pilot to expand into a television series. However, these plans never materialized because of another network’s rival series and the spotlight cast upon it. Here is how a planned 90s Daredevil series was canceled because of a DC show.
A 1990s Daredevil Series Was Reportedly Canned Because of DC’s The Flash Show
In 1989’s The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, actor Rex Smith played Matt Murdock / Daredevil teaming up with the Hulk, to defeat Wilson Fisk / Kingpin. Lord of the Rings actor John Rhys-Davies played Kingpin in the television movie and was expected to reprise the role in a television series alongside Smith. However, the series never came to fruition.
During an interview with IGN, Smith confirmed that there were plans to use the television movie to launch a Daredevil series, which would have featured him and Rhys-Davies. However, according to Smith, these plans were canceled after his contract was purchased by rival network CBS, who were planning to debut their DC Comics adaptation of The Flash, starring John Wesley Shipp.
‘Well, [CBS] bought your contract for Daredevil, because they’re coming out with The Flash and they don’t want the competition. So NBC sold your contract.'”
Smith made the above statement after learning of the Daredevil show’s cancellation from his agent because of the impending release of The Flash and the competition that could have been raised between the two shows. However, The Flash only lasted one season as it was canceled in 1991. As a result, the competition with a rival network’s show resulted in the Daredevil series getting buried.
The 1989 Backdoor Pilot Wasn’t the First Attempt to Create a Daredevil Series
While the Daredevil series never materialized, Smith revealed that he and Rhys-Davies were excited to reprise their roles in it before it was axed. Smith stated:
“We were so excited, John and I both. He was signed on for the series too, to be my Moriarty for Sherlock Holmes. There’d be other baddies, but the real baddie that always had his hand in it was going to be John.”
While the 90s iteration of Daredevil seemed to be in some sort of development, it wasn’t the first attempt to bring the character to television screens. In 1975, Angela Bowie bought the TV rights to Daredevil and Black Widow and planned to make a show about the two characters, but the project failed to find producers.
Similarly, ABC reportedly planned a pilot episode for a Daredevil series in 1983 with Academy Award-winning writer Stirling Silliphant writing a draft for it. However, the pilot also went unproduced. A live-action series centered on the character eventually saw the light of the day in 2015, with Charlie Cox in the role. Netflix canceled the series after three seasons and it is being rebooted to fit into the MCU with the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again.
The Trial of the Incredible Hulk is streaming on Pluto TV and Daredevil is available on Disney+.
