The schedule of upcoming Marvel shows is reaching an exciting point, as one offering that’s quickly approaching on the 2025 TV schedule is the highly touted Daredevil: Born Again. While there’s been a lot of hype surrounding the series, a lot has also been said about its creative development. A vast amount of changes were reportedly made amid production and, so far, they've seemingly been warmly accepted by fans. Now, Charlie Cox is getting real about how the superhero drama “wasn’t quite working” before the changes were made.
It’s not uncommon for shows to undergo changes while they’re in development. But, based on what’s been reported about Born Again, the series is now significantly different from how it was originally imagined. With the show on the horizon, Charlie Cox spoke to our sister site, SFX Magazine, about what’s to come. The British actor specifically recalled how production shifted following the 2023 writers strike – which was followed by the SAG-AFTRA strike. Cox didn’t hold back when explaining the internal “argument” for the changes:
There was a U-turn after the strike, where we were headed in one direction which was interesting and valid. The argument was, if we’re coming back after all these years, we don’t want to just do exactly the same thing. Marvel looked at the episodes and knew it wasn’t quite working. We shot a whole new pilot and they reorganised what we had filmed to make it feel more like the show we had shot all those years previously. Given what a Herculean task that was, it’s very impressive what they achieved.
Of course, I’ve yet to see the show for myself, though I’ve been impressed by Born Again’s footage, as it seems to be picking up right where its Netflix predecessor left off in 2019. And I don’t just mean that from a narrative standpoint. The gritty and dramatic tone also seems to be very much in line with the feel of the OG series. Considering how great that streaming offering was, I’d say that’s a very exciting prospect.
In late 2023, it was reported that Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige was unimpressed with the episodes of the Daredevil sequel series that had been shot at that point. Head writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman were relieved of their duties as a result (though they’re still credited as EPs) along with the show’s original directors. With that, Dario Scardapane – who was a writer on The Punisher – was brought in to refine the production into a piece of work that more closely resembled its parent show. Cast members Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio also helped “correct course” on the show.
The original version of Born Again was reportedly more episodic and had a different pace. A number of new characters were also added, with Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson only expected to cameo as Karen Page and Foggy Nelson, respectively. That changed after the overhaul, though, as they officially joined fellow franchise vets Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio and Jon Bernthal as part of the cast.
As far as its development goes, this DD show has had quite a journey to the small screen. Charlie Cox, as well as the rest of the principal cast and crew members, seem to be pleased with how everything ultimately shook out, though. I, for one, remain at ease about the show right now and hope that this first nine-episode season lives up to the hype.
Daredevil: Born Again debuts on March 4 and will be available to Disney+ subscription holders. In the meantime, catch up on the lore by streaming the original series as well as other titles related to the Defenders’ corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
