Fans have waited years to see Charlie Cox back in the red suit for the MCU’s Daredevil: Born Again, and we’re hoping all the behind-the-scenes changes and delays result in a truly magnificent series. Things have indeed been looking up, particularly when it comes to Daredevil: Born Again’s cast, and it now looks like even more good news has come out of the Disney+ series’ production, as a previous report about Ayelet Zurer’s recasting appears to have been debunked.
During Daredevil’s three-season Netflix run, Zurer portrayed Wilson Fisk’s significant other Vanessa Marianna as a Season 1 regular, and returned for Season 3’s final two episodes, in which Vanessa and Vincent D’Onofrio’s villain were married. Fans were definitely hoping for the actress to return for the upcoming spinoff, after not having played into Kingpin’s story during his returns for Hawkeye and Echo, but it seemed like those hopes were for naught when it was reported in March 2023 that Sandrine Holt was taking over the role of Vanessa.
Now, however, photographer Steve Sands has shared a snap on his Instagram Stories that appears to poke holes in that early report. The pic features Ayelet Zurer and Vincent D’Onofrio standing opposite one another while in character as cameras are pointed their way. Fisk is wearing a suit, and she’s wearing a long brown overcoat, and they appear to be standing behind a firehouse. But no other information is needed, really, since confirmation of Zurer’s return is huge!
Interestingly enough, the credit caption for the image may or may not have its own major story implications. Here’s how it’s labeled:
4.7.24 Ayelet Zurer Reprises her ‘Daredevil’ role as Vanessa Mariana alongside Vincent D’onofrio filming ‘Daredevil: Born Again’
First, the Daredevil: Born Again wrap party already took place on April 5, as indicated on Instagram, stating that filming already concluded. So the date noted on the image would presumably just be when it was uploaded and posted, as opposed to the specific day it was taken.
Beyond that, though, I’m curious to know how deeply fans are meant to read into the (albeit misspelled) character’s name specifically sticking to her maiden moniker, without Fisk on the end of it. Is that meant to imply they went their separate ways anew after their marriage, or will that be one of the details that Daredevil: Born Again retcons for storytelling ease?
Of course, for all the excitement set up by this set photo, there’s also the question of what Ayelet Zurer’s return as Vanessa means for House of Cards vet Sandrine Holt. If she didn’t truly take over as Kingpin’s lover, then who is she playing? Another romantic foil, or someone with a more villainous bent? Or was that recasting report completely erroneous, with Holt set to portray someone with ties to Matt or Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle? It’s a mystery I can’t wait to see resolved at some point.
Daredevil: Born Again is now heading into the depths of post-production, so everyone with Disney+ subscriptions can hopefully expect to see the first 9-episode cycle hit somewhere late in the 2024 TV schedule, though possibly not until 2025.
