DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN Star Vincent D'Onofrio Responds To Firings - "I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way"
Yesterday it was reported that Marvel Studios fired its two head writers and directors for its upcoming series Daredevil: Barn Again. This news seemed to surprise and shock a lot of fans, but you know who wasn’t surprised by it? Actor Vincent D’Onofrio, who plays Kingpin in the series. In fact, he explains that this is just a typical thing in the entertainment industry and that he “wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The actor shared his thoughts on the reports on X saying:
"Every cool project I've been involved with has evolved constantly during pre- production, production and post. It's just reported on these days as if it's big news. It's not. It's simple a bunch of creatives doing their best to get it right. It's a constant in this business. I wouldn't have it any other way. Frankly I'd be worried if we were settling for less. We are going to bring forward the best series we can. One we can be proud of. Have some trust, my friend, trust."
Yeah, that makes sense to me. That is Hollywood. During the time production was paused because of the strikes, fewer than half of the 18-episode season had been shot, and Marvel executives, and President Kevin Feige, reviewed the footage of the series that had been shot and determined that… it wasn’t working.
So, head writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman, and all of the directors for the remainder of the season were let go. The decision is “part of a significant creative reboot of the series.”
Sources said that Corman and Ord “crafted a legal procedural that did not resemble the Netflix version, known for its action and violence. Cox didn’t even show up in costume until the fourth episode. Marvel, after greenlighting the concept, found itself needing to rethink the original intention of the show.”
Marvel Studios is looking to hire new writers and directors to jump on board the project before they re-start production. I hope that they will actually fix things and deliver a show that is at least as good as what Netflix gave us. Netflix’s Daredevil set a high bar… so good luck to them!