Hot off the heels of their critically successful reboot of the "X-Men"
series, 20th Century Fox is looking to kick-start another of their
Marvel properties: Daredevil. Already having obtained David Slade (Twilight: Eclipse, 30 Days of Night) as director, they have now hired TV writer Brad Caleb Kane (Fringe) to pen the script.
It's a risky move for Fox. Kane has been building a (small) name for himself due to the cult status of Fringe,
but has no films to his credit, at least where he served as writer. To
add more pressure to an already cooking pot, the Heat Vision blog of The
Hollywood Reporter reports that the film will be heavily influenced by
one of Daredevil's most popular books Born Again, written by Frank Miller with art by David Mazzucchelli.
To do the Born Again storyline has its pros and cons. On the
one hand, it has one of the strongest storylines Daredevil has walked,
chronicling his descent into madness/carnage due to the Kingpin's
actions. There's a real opportunity to bring about a truly unhinged
Daredevil here, as the guy gives Batman a run for his money in the
psychological department.
On the other hand, to tell a story like Born Again requires a
history with the character of Matt Murdock, and audiences are not as
aware of his history and traits as they are with Bruce Wayne. Not only
that, but to say Born Again is a rated R storyline is an
understatement, something that will surely deter Fox from trying to
build on what Marvel properties they've got left.
The "Daredevil" series is among the darker stories to come out of
Marvel's canon, and deserves the proper recognition. Is Fox making a bad
move by hiring Kane who, despite his self-professed love of the
character, lacks the experience of writing for the big screen? Or can he
bring a new energy to the tarnished screen reputation of The Man
Without Fear?
