Report: David Slade to direct Daredevil movie
“Twilight: Eclipse” director David Slade will helm 20th Century Fox’s continuation of the “Daredevil” film franchise, Variety reported today.
Slade has previous comic-book adaptation experience from adapting Steve Niles’ “30 Days of Night.” Fox’s 2003 “Daredevil” film starring Ben Affleck grossed more than $100 million domestically.
Had Fox not maintained “Daredevil” in production, rights could have reverted to Marvel.
“Daredevil” was created in 1964 by Stan Lee and Bill Everett (and possibly with input from Jack Kirby).
The character was popularized in the 1980s by writer-artist Frank Miller. In the late 1990s and 2000s, the character underwent a revitalization, with writers including Kevin Smith, Brian Michael Bendis and Ed Brubaker. The 1998 reboot of “Daredevil,” with art by Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti, was the first of the “Marvel Knights” line of comics and perhaps the first domino that eventually led to Quesada’s 10-year run as Marvel Comics’ editor-in-chief.
Quesada currently serves as Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment. Given his history with the character, and the fact that Disney now owns Marvel and is bankrolling its film efforts, I believe Fox will be even more likely to keep its hands on what marketable Marvel heroes it maintains rights to make films with – including Daredevil, Fantastic Four, and X-Men.
- Matt Price
Follow
