Rebooting DAREDEVIL in 7 Steps

First off, by way of introduction, my name is Sherry and i like movies. Should my writing strike you as weak or incoherent, that would probably be due to the fact that it is. With good reason, as i run a site where nobody actually reads any of the shit i write. (Editor’s note: visit Veidt.com, it’s awesome…)

Ryan has already written on the prospect of Fox rebooting Daredevil in a desperate attempt to hang onto the property/bitter ploy to deprive Marvel/Disney’s nascent cinematic universe of one of its strongest characters. I’m nowhere near the hardcore DD fan Ryan is (I’ll generally defer to any fan who’ll actually get a tattoo of a character, never mind an entire themed sleeve), but I have tremendous respect for Matt Murdock, enjoyed the Ben Affleck version enough to triple dip (dvd, the massively under appreciated Director’s Cut, and blu-ray), and I’m one of the 30 or so people who actually dug the Elektra movie. As such, I feel qualified to offer a couple suggestions as to what might make for successful cinematic return of old hornhead. At least as qualified as Peter Chernin, anyway.

1.) Hire Jason Statham – Statham campaigned publicly for the Daredevil role, a couple years ago. Now Crank: High Voltage was actually my favorite film of 2009, and the original Crank is in my top 5 of the last decade. In both of these little masterworks, the Stath created one of the most captivating cinematic superhumans ever portrayed on film. A supremely charismatic, walking force of unstoppable entropy who dares the colossally fucked world around him to descend to his level.

I am a total Jason Statham mark…and yet even i’m not sure he’s quite right for Matt. Would I love to see him land the role? Fuck.yes. But as much as I’d love to see the guy get the part he wants, and a Daniel Craig-esque shot at mainstream leading man status, I’d much rather see him set his sights on being cast in a role i know he could utterly own, and possibly become synonymous with in an almost Ledger-ian sense: Bullseye.

Statham + the black and white costume = utopia.

2.) Wolverine vs. Daredevil – Kills two birds with one stone, keeping two Marvel properties tethered at Fox, and producing a Wolverine movie I’d actually pay to see. X-Men Origins: Wolverine was about as fun as sober go-karting. It’s already been leaked that the powers that be want to do an Asia-centric Wolverine sequel. Asia-centric is usually code for lots of ninjas, and DD knows a bit about fighting them. Adding Daredevil to the next Wolverine movie could generate some much needed excitement, and steal some of Marvel’s thunder by creating a cohesive crossover in advance of 2012’s The Avengers.

3.) Frank Miller – It’s not a popular thing to say, but i really liked The Spirit. If Fox is just looking to produce anything to retain the rights (and their choice of initial screenwriter is kinda indicative that this might be their intention), they could do far, far worse than letting Mr. Miller direct. Worst case, it’d be visually gorgeous, cleavage-packed, and crammed full of weird, semi-coherent ideas. Wouldn’t be boring though (I’m looking at you, Bryan Singer, and the hundreds of millions you pissed away on Superman Returns.)

4.) DD vs. the Thing – Fox happens to currently control the rights to two of my favorite Marvel characters, and i’d kill to see them partnered onscreen. Imagine the requisite superhero scrap between a lovable brute who can go toe to toe with the Hulk, and the most skilled, artful fighter in comics not named Bruce Wayne. Once that’s resolved, further imagine 500 lb Ben Grimm trying to do stealth, as they team up to take down a common foe.

5.) Hire an actress who’ll actually wear the Elektra costume – that’s easy enough, the hard part is finding an actress willing to dress in a skimpy costume (who can look awesome doing so), AND effectively embody one of the most complex and utterly lethal female characters in fiction. Thinking Olivia Wilde, but that may be too obvious.

6.) Michael Chiklis as Kingpin – Over the past 8 seasons on The Shield (best teevee show ever!), Chiklis essayed the ultimate anti-hero. A murderous, corrupt police detective who maintained his own internal core of loyalty and integrity right up until the end. Almost. If he can make me invest in and actively root for a cop-killing, drug dealing, fascistic sociopath, I’d wager he could create a compelling and layered Wilson Fisk.

Also, he looks dope bald.

7.) Animate it – You want to dethrone Pixar? Animated Daredevil based on the artwork of Bill Sienkiewicz. Potential for something genuinely spectacular, and a lock for the most tripped to movie ever.

See more of Sherry’s writings over at www.veidt.com!