"Can we appeal to a slightly younger audience without losing what we've learned about what works?"
Netflix's "Daredevil" show was known for its epic, sometimes-brutal and bloody fight scenes. And when it was confirmed series star Charlie Cox would be landing his own Disney+ show, "Daredevil: Reborn," some fans worried a less gritty, more family-friend version of the character was on its way.
The new series news came as Cox's Man Without Fear appeared in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "She-Hulk," the latter of which included him having a one-night stand with the titular character. His "She-Hulk" appearances were certainly lighter and jokier in tone than the original series, but in a new interview with NME Cox made it sound like he believes the new show will likely lay somewhere between the two extremes.
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View Story"This has to be a reincarnation, it has to be different, otherwise why are we doing it?" he told the publication. "My opinion is this character works best when he's geared towards a slightly more mature audience. My instinct is that on Disney+ it will be dark but it probably won't be as gory."
To those hoping the new show would be a continuation of the Netflix OG, he added, "I would say to those people, we've done that. Let's take the things that really worked, but can we broaden? Can we appeal to a slightly younger audience without losing what we've learned about what works?"
In the same interview, Cox revealed he first heard from Kevin Feige at Marvel Studios a couple years ago, who asked whether he'd like to be part of the MCU-proper. "I was over the moon," said the actor, who claimed Feige informed him about the Spider-Man cameo and "She-Hulk" gig and added, "After that, we're not sure. We'll see."
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View StoryThat "We'll see" turned into an 18-episode season of TV at Disney+, by far the highest episode count handed out for a Marvel show yet. To make that happen, Cox said he was told he'd be filming throughout almost all of 2023, starting in February and ending in December.
"I'm fascinated to discover why they've chosen to do 18," he told NME. "I'm imagining there's going to be an element to it that is like the old-school procedural show. Not necessarily case-of-the-week, but something where we go really deep into Matt Murdock the lawyer and get to see what his life is like. If that's done right and he really gets his hands dirty with that world ... I think there's something quite interesting about that, to spend a lot of time in a superhero's day-to-day life and you really earn the moments when he suits up."
And while he told the outlet that "hopefully" the show and future MCU appearances will keep him busy for years, he also added, "But if this show next year doesn't hit the spot, then that might be it."
The show, which will also feature Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin, will debut in Spring 2024.