With the appearance of Charlie Cox’s (Treason, Defenders, Boardwalk Empire) Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home and again in She-Hulk, and Vincent D’Onofrio’s (Full Metal Jacket, Law & Order: Criminal Intent) appearance as Kingpin in Hawkeye, it was only a matter of time before Marvel made a new Daredevil series for their extended cinematic universe. Although some actors from the classic series will not be reprising their roles in Daredevil: Born Again like Cox and D’Onofrio.
According to ComicBook, Vanessa Fisk previously played by Eyelet Zurer (Angels & Demons, Man of Steel, Shtisel) in the original Netflix series, will be replaced with a new actress Sandrine Holt. (MacGyver, Better Call Saul, Black Robe) Vanessa has a very important part in Daredevil’s story being the wife and one true love of Wilson Fisk, commonly known as Kingpin. Once the couple is separated, Kingpin’s rage increases exponentially as well as his criminal behavior, all to be reunited with his Vanessa.
Zurer’s role as Vanessa isn’t the only one getting axed for the Disney+ series. Matt Murdock’s, Daredevil’s public alias, two closest friends and law partners Foggy Nelson played by Elden Henson (El Dorado, The Butterfly Effect, D2: The Mighty Ducks) and Karen Page played by Deborah Ann Woll (Escape Room, The Punisher, True Blood) will not be returning to Daredevil: Born Again. The two seemingly unimportant characters helped Murdock in major ways, helping him get through times of emotional and moral distress, being a public attorney by day and a vigilante by night all without the use of sight. Henson and Woll’s secondary non-super roles will be recast or cut entirely from the new storyline. There is no current information about their replacements.
On the lighter side, one fan favorite character is returning to Marvel’s show. Jon Berenthal (American Gigolo, The Wolf of Wall Street, Baby Driver) who previously played the gritty anti-hero The Punisher is confirmed to be making an appearance in Daredevil: Born Again. Fans highly requested Berenthal to make an appearance after his story line in season two of the Netflix series blossomed into having a solo series showing off his big guns and vengeful attitude.
Finally, Marvel has hired director Michael Cuesta (Homeland, Dexter, American Assassin) is set to start off the pilot episode of the series and possibly a few more episodes afterwards, though he is only confirmed for the one.
Given that there are so many crossovers between superhero projects these days, it’s probable that fans will see another big ticket hero make an appearance in the Hell’s Kitchen crime scene most likely inserted in the series to boost their upcoming series or film. The list of New York City-based heroes seems to be the biggest including popular names such as Doctor Strange, The Fantastic Four, Moon Knight, Spider-Man, Deadpool, and many many more; who will inevitably cross paths during Marvel’s Multiverse Saga.