Fox has hired Fringe writer-producer Brad Caleb Kane to write the film adaptation of Frank Miller’s highly acclaimed Born Again storyline.
Kane, who is a Daredevil fan himself, confirmed the news on Twitter.
“I guess it’s official! ‘Change your life.’ -Murdock,” Kane said via his Twitter page. “We’ll do our best to do right by him (and the fans!),” he later tweeted.
It’s thought his enthusiasm for the project helped net him the job.
Kane only has one film credit on his resume beyond his work on Fringe, although he has also worked on the crime drama Brooklyn’s Finest, DreamWorks’ View-Master movie, a Richard Pryor biopic, and has drafted The Historian, Columbia’s adaptation of Elizabeth Kostova’s vampire novel, Heat Vision reports.
Rumours first emerged in mid-March after David Slade was announced as director that the reboot will draw upon the Born Again plot for inspiration.
“(It will be) a very strong character-driven take on Matt Murdock. It will (bear) no relation to the previous Daredevil movie in any way,” Slade said in a Spinoff report.
Slade recently confirmed the Kane announcement on Twitter.
“Yes, Brad and I are meeting daily to work on the script, and yes ‘Born Again’ is our main source material with all its grittiness,” Slade tweeted.
Born Again was a seven-issue story written by Miller in 1986 depicting Murdock’s drug addicted girlfriend Karen Page selling his identity as Daredevil in exchange for a shot of heroin. The information eventually becomes known to the Kingpin who then launches a vehement campaign to completely destroy the life of his nemesis – he dismantles Murdock’s life causing him to lose his money, his home and his law license – finally pushing the ‘Man Without Fear’ over the edge.
The 2003 movie starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Colin Farrell and Michael Clarke Duncan accumulated $179-million and spawned the spin-off film Elektra which starred Garner. Both films were critically panned, although both spawned improved Director’s Cuts of the theatrical releases.
I’m glad that a new Daredevil movie is closer, but I am hesitant about doing a “Born Again” movie.
What they should have done is just redo the whole Daredevil story. Start from the beginning again. Establish who Karen Page is, and her relationship with Matt. After that movie, then make Born Again.
Born Again is too complicated to show in a 2 hour movie. There isn’t enough time to get new viewers familiar with the characters.
I agree. I’m hesitant to think this is a good lead-off story for the reboot. At least in that regard it forces to consider this a sequel to the Affleck film, and even then, it’s the Director’s Cut of that film that’s worth mentioning, not the theatrical version.
I like the Director’s cut. It feels more like Daredevil to me. I hated the movie when I saw it in theatre and on DVD. When I picked up the Director’s cut, it is a different movie. I like the addition of Coolio, the extra scenes of Foggy, and the real reason they are able to take down the Kingpin.