‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Test Screenings Tease a Gloomier, Grittier Tone Compared to the Netflix Series

The initial version of Daredevil: Born Again was a complete disaster. It focused primarily on courtroom drama, featuring very little action from Daredevil. This approach received negative feedback, prompting Marvel to make major changes in how it developed the series.

In late September 2023, after filming six of the 18 episodes, Marvel Studios decided to shift the show’s direction.

The original head writers, Corman and Ord, along with the other directors, were let go after executives reviewed the footage and concluded that the series “wasn’t working.”

Their approach differed significantly from the Netflix version, causing Charlie Cox to not appear as Daredevil until the fourth episode. Marvel intended to retain some of the filmed scenes while incorporating new elements and aligning more closely with the tone of the original Netflix series.

Despite the changes, Corman and Ord were still expected to receive credit as executive producers. In October of last year, Dario Scardapane, a writer from Netflix’s The Punisher, was appointed as the new showrunner, marking Marvel’s shift toward a more traditional approach to television production.

The initial version of Daredevil: Born Again did not feature Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen or Elden Henson’s Foggy, which Charlie Cox commented on extensively. These characters were later added during reshoots, along with Jon Bernthal’s Punisher.

In the original Born Again, Karen and Foggy were planned to die between the events of Netflix’s Daredevil and Daredevil: Born Again, which sparked significant backlash from fans.

Now, after extensive reshoots, test screenings for Born Again are currently taking place, and rumors suggest that the show has an even darker and grittier tone than the original Netflix series.

Each episode runs for about an hour and includes several cameos. A funeral occurs in the first few episodes, and the initial test screenings have received positive feedback.

The funeral is the most intriguing aspect here. Some reports indicate that either Foggy or Karen is still expected to die in the first few episodes of the show. Recently surfaced set footage shows Karen crying over Foggy’s body on the pavement, lending credence to that rumor.

The footage also depicts an angry confrontation between Daredevil and Punisher. Regardless, it looks like we’re in for an exciting experience, and we can’t wait for the first trailer and the show’s release on Disney+ in March 2025. Do you have any thoughts to share? Let us know in the comments below!