It looks like rights to "Daredevil," the blind superhero first portrayed on screen by Ben Affleck in 2003, will soon leave Fox and revert to Marvel Studios, owned by Disney.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the license for the comic property is up this week.
Production on a new "Daredevil" movie would have to begin before October 10 in order for Fox to retain the rights to the character. The studio has already received two extensions from Marvel on the film.
A few weeks ago, there was talk of Marvel giving Fox more time to make a "Daredevil" film in exchange for the rights to characters Galactus and the Silver Surfer. Fox declined the deal, likely wanting to retain them for their "Fantastic Four" franchise reboot.
"The Grey" director Joe Carnahan recently pitched a "Frank Miller-esque, hardcore 70s thriller" take on the superhero to Fox, and said it was well-received, but there wasn't enough time before the deadline to get it done.
Monday, Carnahan sent out a cryptic tweet regarding the matter:
Today he tweeted the following:
Fox currently holds the rights to other Marvel franchises, "X-Men" and "Fantastic Four," which are safe because both have projects in development. Under Disney, Marvel is trying to get their stable of heroes back. The company recently reacquired "Blade" from New Line.
With "Daredevil" most likely returning to Marvel, is it possible we could see the character in the upcoming "Avengers" sequel? Don't rule anything out. While writer-director Josh Whedon apparently already has a treatment for the 2015 film ready, nothing is set in stone, and the studio may be wise to showcase the character in a minor role before giving him another standalone film.
If "Avengers" could get "Hulk" out of movie jail, surely the sequel could do the same for "Daredevil," whose first and only film had disappointing numbers similar to the the "Hulk" pics.
It may be a while before "Daredevil" returns to theaters, but to see what a new movie might have looked like, check out Carnahan's pitch below:
