Charlie Cox's appearance at D23 to promote Daredevil: Born Again resulted in a number of interviews in which the actor discussed how grateful he was to be playing the role again, and while doing so, Cox also dropped some more information on what to expect from the show. Mainly, he shot down the idea of a “slapstick Daredevil,” but allowed that there might be some room for levity in the 18-episode show.Daredevil: Born Again is the culmination of years of fan campaigning. When Cox previously portrayed the character in Netflix's own Daredevil show, he instantly became a fan favorite. His turn on the show was raw, and its action sequences were brutal. However, the collaboration between Netflix and Marvel eventually fell apart, and the shows under that umbrella were canceled. Ever since then, fans have been clamoring for his return, and their desires were eventually heard when Cox appeared briefly as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and he’ll also be appearing soon in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Echo). In an interview on the carpet of D23, an interviewer with Variety caught up with Cox and spoke briefly with the actor. The interviewer questioned how his life had changed now that he was back in the role, and Cox seemed blown away by the changes in his life since Kevin Feige had called on him to return as the Man Without Fear, stating that he was now being approached by people who recognized him with far more regularity. He also discussed his turn on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, where he said he had to alter his portrayal of the character a bit for a more comedic show, calling Daredevil “cheeky and flirty” while praising his chemistry with Tatiana Maslany. In response to this, the interviewer joked that audiences might see a “slapstick Daredevil,” which Cox shot down, saying it wasn’t “true to the source material." He also said he did not know how dark Daredevil: Born Again would get, and stated that there was room for both darkness and some levity (as there has been during certain Daredevil runs in the comics) during the course of the 18-episode show, which begins filming soon.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Extra, Cox talked more about how Daredevil: Born Again might be a continuation of the Netflix show. Cox reiterated that he had yet to see material related to the new show, but did say that, based on the title, he expected it to be all new stories. He said, “It is a Season 1, it is not Season 4, so it is a whole new thing. Which I think is the way to go. If you are going to do it again, do it differently.” He further joked that he saw Daredevil becoming a key member of the Avengers, saying he could be “imperative to everything they do.” Again, he reiterated his desire to work again with Tatiana Maslany and shouted out to fans who had worked on the Save Daredevil viral campaign. “It is really emotional to be given this second life when you have already developed such a love for the character and the people, and now we are embarking on this whole new journey, and it is the beginning again. I feel so grateful and excited, and I’m nervous all over again, you know what I mean? It is a wild journey. It is the gift that keeps on giving.”
Cox's comments indicate that he has yet to see any scripts for Daredevil: Born Again, and if the star of the show has yet to see any of the scripts, it becomes much more difficult to know just what Daredevil: Born Again might be like. While it is possible it remains a rated R show, Cox's assurances that levity may be present could indicate a less-brutal show this time around. Meanwhile, his comments about new adventures and a fresh start may indicate the Netflix series won’t strictly be canon, but again, this early on, most information is just speculation.
Daredevil: Born Again is expected to air on Disney Plus in 2024.
Source: Variety/Twitter, Extra