MARVEL’S DAREDEVIL TEASER TRAILER EXCLUSIVE DEBUT
The wait is over! IGN has the exclusive debut of the teaser trailer for Marvel’s Daredevil, the first of several Marvel/Netflix series that will further expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
We’re guessing you’re eager to see the trailer, so check it out above and then continue on below for more info on the series!
We spoke with Marvel’s Daredevil executive producer/showrunner Steven S. DeKnight (Spartacus) about the trailer, and he gave us insight on several key Daredevil aspects we see in the footage.
The Actor Without Fear
Charlie Cox is front and center in the trailer as Matt Murdock/Daredevil and DeKnight spoke about what made the actor right for the role.
DeKnight: We had all loved Charlie on Boardwalk Empire. We knew that he had the charm and the charisma but also could go to a darker place. When he came in for his audition, he just had a fascinating take on the character. It wasn’t quite the direction we were going in but it was so nuanced and well thought out that we called him back in and we talked to him and made some adjustments and he made fantastic adjustments and he had such a depth of character that we really responded to. He can exude such inner turmoil and pain that is really vital to Matt Murdock, not to mention the fact that when you’re looking for a lead, you really want number one on the call sheet to be somebody that people respect and want to be around for 14 hours a day and Charlie is just the nicest guy in the world.
The Catholic Devil
The trailer uses Matt in a confessional as a framing device, reflecting the catholic upbringing the character has in the comics
DeKnight: I think it’s vital to the character. Matt Murdock is, I think, one of the most, if not the most, religious characters in the Marvel Universe, with the heroes. His Catholicism is so much part of his being and part of his conflict, I think it would be incredibly disingenuous to attempt to do the show where that’s not a big part of it.
The Costume
Fans have noted that the all-black costume Matt Murdock wears in the series as Daredevil is not at all the familiar red, horned outfit we picture Daredevil in – though it does have its roots in the comics, in the origin story The Man Without Fear.
DeKnight: Really, the reason we start with this version — which is hugely influenced by Man Without Fear — is for two reasons. One, this really is the beginning, the formation of Matt Murdock a Daredevil. On the flip side, it’s the formation of Wilson Fisk becoming Kingpin. It’s very much a parallel arc. We didn’t want to start him in the [red] suit. We wanted the early days of him figuring out what he was doing and making mistakes and getting the crap beat out of him on a regular basis. His suit, which we call his vigilante outfit, in the beginning – we tried practically everything, design-wise. We experimented with a lot of different head pieces. One version was a ski mask with the eyes sewn shut. We tried everything until we found something that just felt right. And also, really going back to that Man Without Fear, I can’t say where his costume ends up, where it goes, but there is definitely an evolution.
The Kingpin
We only get a glimpse of Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin in the trailer, but don’t worry, he’s crucial to the story.
DeKnight: When we first meet him, he’s a very mysterious figure, as you can gather from the teaser. Absolutely, a lynchpin of Season 1. I think there’s a no better way to start of the series than a formative Matt Murdock coming up against a formative Wilson Fisk. We were so incredibly lucky to get Vincent D’Onofrio, who is not only a phenomenal actor and an amazing person to be around, so very generous as an actor and performer, but I don’t know if there’s another human being on the planet that embodies WIlson Fisk, physically, like in the comics. I think, honestly, he is as close as you’re going to get, unless you’re doing an animated series. We just marveled. We were like holy s**t, it is Wilson Fisk come to life! Even in the teaser, when you just see him from behind, standing in front of that painting, you just get the feeling that it’s Wilson Fisk, the future Kingpin. Fisk plays a crucial role in Season 1, as the adversary of Matt Murdock. Also, on the flip side, Matt Murdock is the fly in Fisk’s ointment. What I love about this show is we’re able to explore some gray areas of who is really good, who is really bad, and which person is really better for the city in the long run. It’s a question we really examine.
Karen and Foggy
Two core members of Daredevil’s supporting cast, Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), appear in the trailer. Karen, notably, seems to be going through some tough times…
DeKnight: I think Deborah Ann Woll said it best at New York Comic Con – that Karen doesn’t so much get into trouble, she is trouble. With Deborah Ann Woll, I could not think of a more perfect Karen Page. Her performance is just phenomenal and again, when we were casting, first and foremost we had to find a great Matt Murdock and then of course if you’re going to have a great Matt Murdock, you have to have a great Foggy Nelson, which we were very fortunate to get Elden Henson who works perfectly. We called a lot of fantastic actors but in the big picture, it takes more than just a fantastic actor. You have to have great chemistry with the other person. So having Charlie and Elden work so well together and then the magic to that relationship of course is that then you need a Karen Page that works equally with both of them. It’s all a bit of alchemy. I couldn’t be more thrilled with Charlie, Deborah Ann, and Elden. ust the way they come together and bring the characters to life, and bring them to life in a very real, human way.
Stick
Scott Glenn plays Matt Murdock’s blind martial arts mentor.
DeKnight: We spent weeks and weeks talking about Stick and who do we get and I had been saying coming into the show, I was obsessed with getting Sonny Chiba and mixing it up but that didn’t quite work out. We had mentioned in the [writers] room Scott Glenn and I don’t know why it fell by the wayside but I was watching The Leftovers and I saw him and I believe he is in his earlier 70’s and in better shape than me or anybody I know. So I suggested everybody take a look at The Leftovers and his performance and everybody was on board. We reached out to his people and were delighted. First, I sent an email to my old buddy Damon Lindelof. I just wanted to make sure he was not shooting [The Leftovers]. I didn’t want to step on his toes and once that was cleared up, we reached out and he was very interested. He read the script and really liked it and said, “Yeah, I’d love to do it.” I can tell you, one of the highlights of my career was getting on the phone with Scott Glenn, because he’s exactly how you would imagine him. He’s just a fantastic guy. He’s so great to work with. His portrayal of Stick… He’s perfect in that role.
A Hero Who Gets Hurt
The trailer’s final image, of Daredevil on the ground, beaten and bloody, is one that DeKnight feels is important to who this hero is.
DeKnight: I always loved in the comics that also this is a guy that has heightened sense but no super powers. This is a guy who’s pushing himself to the limit who can get hurt and can get killed… I’m hugely influenced by the Frank Miller runs that I grew up with, where he was constantly getting the crap kicked out of him. Again, obviously there’s a bit of a heightened sense of reality that he can do what he can do and not end up in the hospital every other day. But we also touch upon why that is. Really, it’s like Batman without the money. He is just determined. It’s sheer force of will that keeps him going when a normal man would fall over and a lot of that I think, also in the Matt Murdock mythos, comes from his father and being a boxer and that kind of thing, where you just don’t quit.
Marvel’s Daredevil debuts April 10th on Netflix.
Original article at IGN
