Daredevil 2: Why Ben Affleck's Marvel Sequel Was Never Made
While most fans these days associate Marvel's Daredevil with the Netflix-turned-MCU character played by Charlie Cox, he was preceded by Ben Affleck in the role. Unfortunately, Affleck's "Daredevil" movie, released in 2003, never gained enough momentum to merit a sequel. It was also not well-received by audiences and critics.
Directed by Mark Steven Johnson, "Daredevil" told the origin story of Matt Murdock, a blind attorney who exacted justice at night in a scarlet-colored outfit and horned mask as Daredevil. The film contained several familiar characters from Marvel Comics' "Daredevil" series, including the superhero's enemies Bullseye (Colin Farrell) and Wilson Fisk (Michael Clarke Duncan), aka the crime boss Kingpin. Jennifer Garner also starred in "Daredevil" as Elektra Natchios, an assassin who becomes Murdock's love interest.
As Johnson explained to Yahoo! Entertainment, the idea of a "Daredevil 2" rested on the shoulders of the spin-off movie "Elektra." "I think the plan was that they would make an Elektra movie and then in success do another Daredevil," Johnson told the publication. "I didn't work on the Elektra movie at all, but that one didn't work out, and then everything kind of went away, unfortunately."
There was certainly a lot riding on the success of "Elektra." While "Daredevil" grossed $187.2 million worldwide against an $80 million budget, "Elektra," which was made for $65 million, eked out a paltry global take of $56.8 million.
Cox's "Daredevil" brought new life to the character. The series had a three-season run on Netflix — which was the best Marvel Netflix series, according to fans — and then the actor reprised the role for a cameo in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and appeared in "She-Hulk" on Disney+. Now, Cox is pumped to put a new spin on Murdock in "Daredevil: Born Again," which will debut on the streamer sometime in 2024.
Johnson is proud of Daredevil's legacy
While the sequel for Mark Steven Johnson's "Daredevil," never materialized, the filmmaker — who went on to direct Nicolas Cage in Marvel's "Ghost Rider" in 2007 — revealed some of his plans for Ben Affleck's Matt Murdock. "I know I wanted to do more of Matt's romance with Karen Page, played by Ellen Pompeo," recalled Johnson for Yahoo! Entertainment. "She went onto a giant television career! It was Jon Favreau's first Marvel movie, too, and look what he went on to do."
Johnson, of course, was referring to Pompeo's dramatic rise with ABC's smash medical drama "Grey's Anatomy." Meanwhile, Favreau — who played Murdock's law partner, Foggy Nelson in "Daredevil" — went on to direct Robert Downey Jr. in the first two "Iron Man" films and also starred as Tony Stark's bodyguard, Happy Hogan, in six MCU films.
"It's so cool to see how everyone moved on from the film," Johnson told Yahoo! Entertainment while reflecting on "Daredevil's" legacy. "I had a great time making it, and it's fun being this curious footnote in Marvel history."
While there wasn't a "Daredevil" sequel in the cards for Johnson, he got a prequel of sorts. Writer-director Kevin Smith — who cameoed in "Daredevil" as a forensic assistant named for Marvel icon Jack Kirby — previously cast Johnson in a cameo for his 2001 comedy "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back." That film, of course, finds Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith) in Hollywood.
"In 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,' there's a scene where he and Jason Mewes are running through a studio backlot, and there's a 'Daredevil' movie being made," Johnson recalled for Yahoo! Entertainment. "If you look for a second, I'm the director of that 'Daredevil' movie! So, we traded parts."