Director David Slade Exits 'DAREDEVIL' Reboot

Marvel properties at 20th Century Fox are slowing coming together with The Wolverine and the X-Men First Class sequel about to go into production. The same can't be said about Fox's Daredevil reboot as Deadline reports that David Slade (30 Days of Night) has dropped out as it's director.

Fox will have to find another director soon or the rights will revert back to Marvel/Disney if the film isn't made. I'm sure fans of the Hell's Kitchen hero would love that to happen. Considering it could be awesome to finally see Daredevil and Black Widow team-up in a movie. Not to mention see a faithful adaptation of the character. It wouldn't be hard to imagine Murdock showing up in the Black Widow spin-off film if Marvel regains the rights.

Neil Marshall Replaces David Slade As Director Of 'THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER'

HeatVision reports that The Last Voyage of The Demeter is finally moving forward as a new director has been named. Genre director Neil Marshall has been hired but it's unknown if any of the original cast members will stay on. Previously, David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night) had been attached to helm the untold Dracula tale which focuses on the voyage to London where the crew of the Demeter are picked-off one by one. Actors such as Noomi Rapace, Jude Law and Ben Kingsley had been involved but seemingly have left the project. Marsall is best know for his cult-hits Dog Soldiers and The Descent but his recent films such as Centurion and Doomsday didn't impress anyone. Neil might get a little buzz later this year as he's been hired by HBO to direct an episode of Game of Thrones that will air this season.

RUMOR: 'DAREDEVIL' Reboot Stalled Over Terrible Script?

There has been little to zero development on 20th Century Fox's Daredevil reboot with David Slade attached to direct. It doesn't bowd well for the project that went into high gear to avoid the film rights reverting back to Marvel in the first place. Fox had set Fringe writer Brad Caleb Kane to pen the script. Word from LatinoReview that Fox looking for a new writer, giving the impression the studio is unhappy with the script from Kane. Previously Slade updated stating that the reason the film wasn't moving forward was a "boring" one. This leads me to believe that the script was horrible enough for the studio to scrap the whole thing and start from scratch with a new screenwriter.

"The script for DAREDEVIL is wack. So wack that guess what kids, it's now an open writing assignment! They're looking for a new writer."

RUMOR: Taylor Kitsch Also In The Mix For Daredevil?

MovieHole has briefly mentioned that Taylor Kitsch has been added to the candidates for the Daredevil reboot. 20th Century Fox has set David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night) to direct and write which will be based on the gritty Frank Miller (300, Sin City) runs of the comics. Kitsch is going to have a make or break year with massive blockbusters John Carter and Battleship heading to theaters. If successful there is already a John Carter sequel expected to go into production with the working title Gods of Mars. Disney hasn't greenlit the sequel so it could leave an opening for Taylor to make Daredevil sometime this year. Considering there doesn't seem to be a source listed I would take this as just a rumor.

Some might be skeptical about this rumor because he once played Gambit in Fox's Wolverine. However, it looks like Fox has scrapped previous incarnations of the X-Men characters with Matthew Vaughn's First Class reboot. This leads me to believe that we'll see all new actors portraying our favorite mutants (minus Wolverine of course) in future First Class sequels. The raging Cajun seems like he could be great addition to Vaughn's swinging 60's era X-Men universe. There were rumblings that Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass, Savages) could be playing either a new Gambit or Cyclops. Even the Wolverine sequel will be a one-off and likely won't have any connection to the first film. Not leaving room for Gambit to return for the sequel. I expect that we could see a completely re-shot origin for Wolvie to further separate the two films.

There is a new trend of actors playing multiple comic book roles like Chris Evans (Fantastic Four, Captain America), Ryan Renyolds (Blade 3, Green Lantern, Deadpool, R.I.P.D.), Ray Stevenson (Thor, Punisher, G.I. Joe) and Idris Elba (Thor, Losers, Ghost Rider). I wouldn't be too concerned that Kitsch played a supporting character in a terrible comic book film. It doesn't exclude him from playing other heroes or villains in the future. That being said a few other actors have been previously linked to the project which includes Xavier Samuel, Garret Hedlund (Troy, Tron Legacy) and Bradley Cooper (Hangover, Limitless). Warner Bros. recently put an axe to both Akira and Paradise Lost which could give Hedlund and Cooper an opening to make the film as well.

RUMOR: Xavier Samuel In The Running For Daredevil?

There hasn't been much updates concerning 20th Century Fox's Daredevil reboot. We know that David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days Of Night) is currently attached to direct with Kyle Killen (The Beaver) writing the script. Also that the film would be based on Frank Miller's Born Again storyline.

There is some speculation that Twilight alum Xavier Samuel could be a candidate for Matt Murdock. Slade recently tweeted an image of the Australian actor donning shades when defending not using 3D. Previously there had been rumors of Bradley Cooper, Robert Pattinson and Garrett Hedlund (Tron Legacy, Troy). While I think Hedlund is a solid choice an up and comer could be what the reboot needs.

Duncan Jones Could Direct The Wolverine

Deadline has a new report that Universal has offered the Huntsman role to Hugh Jackman in Snow White & The Huntsman. The only catch would be that he'd have to choose to do this over The Wolverine. I wouldn't be shocked this being a tactic by Jackman to light a fire under the seat of 20th Century Fox who have yet to pick a director to replace Darren Aronofsky. The article mentions that the studio is currently looking at Duncan Jones (Source Code) and David Slade (30 Days of Night.

Slade seems like a reasonable choice as he was in the initial group of directing candidates but has since been attached to Daredevil. I'm curious to see if he drops Daredevil to focus on The Wolverine which would take up a considerable amount of his time with the projected November 2012 release date. While David has been tagged for directing a Twilight film he's made some awesome films such as Hard Candy and 30 Days of Night. I didn't care for the look of the vampires in 30 Days of Night but it seemed like a faithful film to the comics which should ease reservations of X-Men fans.

Duncan Jones on the other hand might be as creditable as Aronofsky. Jackman previous stated they would be looking at directors similar to Aronofsky. Jones seems like the most applicable to Darren with auteur sensibilities while being able to work on a grand scale with a limited budget. His first film Moon was a stellar homage to work of Ridley Scott but being it's on monster and a great addition to the science fiction genre. Duncan isn't new to being offered big studio genre projects. He previous was in talks for the Superman and Judge Dredd reboots. Along with being a fan favorite to take over directing duties from Jon Favreau on Iron Man 3. Jones has been trying hard to get his speechless thriller Mute made and I'm sure there could be a possibility Fox would fund the film if he directs The Wolverine. I'd personally take Jones over Slade only because I've felt his films have a stronger emotional connection which would be needed for the dramatic script written by Christopher McQuarrie (Jack The Giant Killer, Usual Suspects)

Bradley Cooper Rumored Frontrunner For Daredevil, Garrett Hedlund Also Interested

This sounds more promising than the previous rumor that Robert Pattinson would take up the red jumpsuit in the Daredevil reboot. Two seperate new rumors suggest that Bradley Cooper (Hangover, Limitless) is the frontrunner and Garrett Hedlund (Troy, Tron Legacy) is also in the mix for the lead.

Garrett had been in the running for Captain America but dropped out early to commit to Tron Legacy and it's sequel. As the Captain America role we be a commitment to six films not leaving much room for Tron 3. Cooper also tested for a superhero role when he was almost locked in as Green Lantern until Ryan Reynolds swooped in and took the role. Bradley is becoming a bigger name but has yet to jump in role of an action lead. Besides his supporting role in the underwhelming A-Team which was a 20th Century Fox film. He's been linked for The Flash but seems like he had a bad experience testing for Green Lantern and won't be doing any DC films anytime soon. A Marvel film might suit Bradley better as I thought he'd make an excellent Hawkeye before Jeremy Renner landed the role. I'd be happy with either of them yet it's still in early stages of development so these won't be the only names attached to the reboot.

Daredevil Reboot Rumor Round-Up

With the announcement of 20th Century Fox hiring David Slade to direct and David Callaham (Expendables) using Frank Miller's Born Again storyline I figured I'd run down some current and previous rumors about the Daredevil reboot.

EW reports that the lead actors from the first film will not be returning that includes Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner and Colin Farrell. I would expect everyone from the first film will be scrapped and recast. While the film has been mentioned as sequel this one more reason to believe this will be more of a reboot.

Michael Clark Duncan had been vocal of reprising the role of Kingpin who is likely to be in the new film. I'm not sure how Duncan would fit into the reboot if they're recasting the leads it's possible they'd hire a new Kingpin too. While he physically met the requirements for Kingpin he didn't seem menacing enough for the role. It might be just me but Duncan seems more of a sweetheart than a villain.



Jason Statham stated to the LATimes he wanted the role of the Daredevil saying ""Forget Bullseye, I want to be Daredevil!...Absolutely, just give me the chance, I would love to be Daredevil"and Frank Miller gave his blessing "I think he should be Daredevil too!".

Statham should get the role as he's a stable for action films and wouldn't overshadow the character as most big name actors would. He's got a solid international appeal from his Transporter franchise and enough geek crediblity with films like Crank 1-2, Snatch, Lock Stock and Expendables. David Callaham who is working on the reboot's script also wrote Expendables which starred Statham. 

A ridiculous rumor surfaced yesterday that linked Robert Patterson to the role. First he's way too young and is also just going to anger loyal fans. I'm sure there is link since David Slade directed a Twilight film but I'd expect that Fox would understand that Daredevil fans wouldn't be happy with this choice. I'm all for a different take but they need someone more established and well liked for the role.


Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) had been linked to the role of Typhoid Mary a love interest and villain of Daredevil. I think it would be excellent to see a faithful version of Mary but she wasn't in Born Again unless they work her into the story somehow. Sackhoff is interesting enough and would be a more convincing female action heroine than Jennifer Garner ever was.





The villains that did appear in Born Again were The Kingpin and Nuke. Yet Nuke was involved in the super soldier program so he might be excluded. Director Mark Steven Johnson had mentioned The Owl and Mr. Fear as possible villains for a sequel but it's unlikely they'll be used in this film as he was replaced.

Fox Using Frank Miller's Born Again For Daredevil Reboot

HeatVision has updated their previous story that David Slade has been brought on to direct/adapt the Daredevil reboot. 20th Century Fox will be using the Frank Miller written Born Again saga for the film. Similar to the use of Miller's Wolverine Japanese saga which is being used for Darren Aronofsky's The Wolverine. It's a great starting point as Miller was one of the best Daredevil writers and his source material could help bring a successful reboot and potential franchise.

The original film was a total mess from the terrible acting, directing, costumes and script it never had a chance. Hopefully Fox has learned their lessons and are willing to put more time/creativity into these reboots. Hiring Slade and using source material from Frank Miller are two reasons this new film could work. Born Again featured the Kingpin discovering Daredevil's identity and slowly destroying his life.

David Slade To Direct Daredevil Reboot

HeatVision reports that 20th Century Fox has hired David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night) to direct and develop the Daredevil reboot. Slade had been in talks with Fox to helm both Wolverine 2 and X-Men First Class so it was expected he would eventually land a project with the studio. It's likely that since the reboot is still in development stages The Last Voyage of The Demeter will be Slade's next film.

Recently both Matt Damon and Guy Pearce revealed they had turned down the role lead role in the original Daredevil film which starred Ben Affleck. Jason Statham has the blessing of Daredevil writer Frank Miller for the reboot and I'm sure Statham will be in talks soon. I'd like to see the studio to take this film in more of a Punisher/Ghost Rider: The Spirit of Vengeance path. Since Daredevil is a costumed vigilante who takes on the mob it would make sense to feature more gritty violence than the last film. I just hope that the studio goes back to the Frank Miller material for inspiration. As Darren Aronofsky's The Wolverine also is taking cues from Miller's storylines.

David Slade To Direct The Last Voyage of The Demeter

HeatVision reports David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night) will direct yet another vampire film. This time one based on actually lore and inspired directly from Bram Stoker's original Dracula novel. The Last Voyage of The Demeter tells the story of Dracula's voyage to London and the evil that is unleashed upon the crew/passengers during it. Ben Kingsley and Noomi Rapace were previously attached for the project but it's very likely they could leave to focus on other commitments.