Daredevil is officially back where he belongs.
Film rights to the comic-book superhero have reverted back to Marvel after being tied up at 20th Century Fox for more than a decade, confirmed Marvel president Kevin Feige in an interview with Newsarama on Monday. Fox had been scrambling to get a “Daredevil” reboot into production prior to the rights expiring last October, but the studio just couldn’t keep a director on board, with David Slade (“30 Days of Night”) and, later, Joe Carnahan (“The Grey”) both flirting with the project before eventually dropping out.
While Feige didn’t say what, if anything, Marvel has in the works for the blind crime-fighter at this time, we wouldn’t expect them to sit on the opportunity for too much longer given the character’s obvious franchise potential.
Fox released a “Daredevil” film back in 2003 with Ben Affleck starring as the title character, but despite being a minor box-office success (it grossed nearly $180 million worldwide on a $78 million budget), it was less-than-well-received by critics and fans. An “Elektra” spinoff starring Jennifer Garner followed in 2005 but was greeted by dismal box-office and withering reviews.
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