The Geek Beat: Dare to Reboot
Filed under: Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, The Geek Beat
Hopefully, you're all still out there after last week's emotional revelations. I didn't mean to make that quite as depressing as it turned out – but insomnia and Two Mules for Sister Sara can do that to a girl, I guess. This week, we're going to tackle the intriguing topic of a Daredevil reboot.
While I want to hate the "reboot" trend, I can't. I write too many of those "If they had just done it right!" rants. For a studio to offer the chance to see a movie done right is just too tempting – and it's not as though it obliterates the original attempt, the fans of that film can still go geek out over it and pretend the rest of us are collectively insane. It's not a trend that I would want to see expand beyond comic book films, though – unless there's some classic novel that's been totally bastardized onscreen or something. It really only works if there's source material to go back to, and treat right. And given that comic books are an industry that is built on revision, retro-con, rewriters, and alternate universes, I can't really complain when movie studios try to do the same thing.
While I want to hate the "reboot" trend, I can't. I write too many of those "If they had just done it right!" rants. For a studio to offer the chance to see a movie done right is just too tempting – and it's not as though it obliterates the original attempt, the fans of that film can still go geek out over it and pretend the rest of us are collectively insane. It's not a trend that I would want to see expand beyond comic book films, though – unless there's some classic novel that's been totally bastardized onscreen or something. It really only works if there's source material to go back to, and treat right. And given that comic books are an industry that is built on revision, retro-con, rewriters, and alternate universes, I can't really complain when movie studios try to do the same thing.
I've been in favor of a Daredevil reboot even before it became officially tossed around. Now, I must be honest here and admit I've largely encountered Matt Murdock when he pops up in supporting roles. I think the last time I may have seen him was Mark Millar's Enemy of the State, where Wolverine wondered aloud how Murdock got lucky with the ladies in a thought bubble I have since tried to eradicate from my brain. But I know that when he's done right, he's the perfect mix of heroic and tormented, a character who lives in a gritty, real world that everyone is loving thanks to Christopher Nolan. Yet there's enough of a dose of the supernatural that allows a Daredevil movie to have a little more fun, at least in the villain department, than Nolan's Batman can. Wouldn't it be cool to have a superhero franchise that could introduce the fantastic elements, like The Hand, while still retaining a veneer of reality? And what about the possibilities of cross-over? You'll never see the X-Men or Wolverine pop up in the Marvel Studios universe – but there's no reason they couldn't visit Hell's Kitchen. (Unfortunately, the wrong studios own the rights to Luke Cage and Iron Fist – do you think Sony would sell off Cage?)
Daredevil also has a vital element that Nolan's Batman lacks – women. Saying Murdock has a history of bad relationships is an understatement, but it's ample fodder for film, and could offer the emotional complexity Pepper Potts and Rachel Dawes lacked. Even better, four of his flames have superpowers or talents, which could lead to those much desired spin-off movies. (A Black Widow film? Heck yeah! Wait, who owns her?)
But the best plotline, good for at least two films, would be his thorny and violent affair with Elektra Natchios. I won't lie, it's this aspect of Daredevil that I most want to see redone, erasing all memories of a martial arts battle on a kid's playground. The only Daredevil/Elektra story I own is Frank Miller's Elektra Lives Again – and if there's one reason alone to bring these two back onscreen, it's this book. It's oppressive with Catholic guilt and late winter snows, horrifically violent, and beautifully drawn. (The panels of stained glass would work like a sugar high on a good director.) It's an icy, haunting and nightmarish love story – the sort of thing that could redefine the comic movie genre. Why, I might even give up all possibilities of a third Batman to hear "But she's cold. She's someplace cold." before the screen fades to black.
Of course, one has to remember that while "dark," "gritty" and "complex" are the new superhero keywords, and that we're likely to get another Daredevil that's flashy and devoid of substance, it's worth throwing out there, though, just in case Fox is browsing the Internet for ideas. But since I know I'll be disappointed in my dreams of Elektra Lives Again, can it all lead to a future film where I see her fight zombie ninjas with Wolverine? Because if there's a second reason to reboot Daredevil, it's to bring on the mystical ninjas.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-14-2008 @ 3:03PM
DAVID F said...
Before Affleck ruined Murdock, I recall wanting Edward Norton or Eric Stotlz (don't laugh....he could buff up and resurrect his career) but now, I just dunno. Just curious....have you read any of Bendis or Brubaker's run? There's some great storylines to work off of there. I think it would help to bring a more realistic approach (like Nolan) to the Daredevil world. After all, it's Hell's Kitchen. Ya can't get any more real than that.
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10-14-2008 @ 4:25PM
Patrick C. said...
Quoth David F.:
"After all, it's Hell's Kitchen. Ya can't get any more real than that."
Well, that depends on your perspective. The Hell's Kitchen of today's Marvel Comics, with its street crime and everyday violence, bears hardly any similarity to the heavily gentrified and thoroughly unthreatening Hell's Kitchen of modern Manhattan. There's a reason they call it Clinton now. Marvel's fictionalized (or throwback, if you prefer) take on the Kitchen is really only scarcely more real than Gotham City. That's why I always kind of wished they'd have set the Daredevil movie in the 70s or early 80s — when violent street crime was a much more prevalent problem in New York.
I really struggle with the idea of a Daredevil reboot. As much as I love Daredevil, the first film crammed in so many different corners of the mythos that I think it might be difficult to craft a reboot plot that would serve as a fresh start but still feel unique. Besides, it's easier to reboot Superman, who's a large and famous enough character that he exists in most people's minds wholly apart from any one particular incarnation. Daredevil doesn't have that going for him — it would be hard to disassociate the character from the first film version in the minds of audiences. The Hulk is significantly more well-known, after all, and it just barely worked for him.
Much as it pains me, I'd probably stay away from Daredevil for a good while longer. If you had to do him, I'd ignore the obvious temptation to do Born Again and probably head instead in the direction of Bendis and Brubaker — a Daredevil movie that began with the hero's identity being publicly revealed might be an good way to take a superhero movie in a different direction.
By the way, I'm not sure but I want to say Lion's Gate has the Black Widow, although by now she may have lapsed back into Marvel Studios. Personally, I'd rather see her show up in Captain America, the Avengers or Iron Man than Daredevil. Matt's still got Elektra, Karen Page, Typhoid Mary, Milla Donovan and Echo to work with, and really, that ought to be enough. The Avengers, in particular, desperately needs strong women.
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10-15-2008 @ 2:23AM
Ray said...
"That's why I always kind of wished they'd have set the Daredevil movie in the 70s or early 80s — when violent street crime was a much more prevalent problem in New York."
Agreed. As a proud resident of Hell's Kitchen (F*CK 'Clinton'), there's only 2 ways to properly bring Daredevil and the Punisher to life. Either set them in the 70's and 80's, when the whole city was like the OK Corral, or do a sort of alternate history where the Giuliani-era NYPD couldn't get the crime rate to drop. Besides being so much safer than it used to be, Hell's Kitchen, like the rest of Manhattan and an increasing amount of the outer boroughs, is becoming more developed. Everywhere there's new glassy luxury high-rises, banks, pharmacies, and coffee shops. Even if you strew trash across the streets and tagged the hell out of the buildings, it still wouldn't look the same.
10-15-2008 @ 2:27AM
Elisabeth said...
I think setting it in the 70s or 80s would be a really cool idea -- for one, it would take away the temptation to do some gadget-technology based story, and force it to be an old-school action movie. And it would *really* set it apart from the current crop of comic book movies. If you're going to reboot it, you have to offer something different as Scott K said below. And what better way than to do a retro movie?
I'm all for it.
10-14-2008 @ 4:35PM
Bryan said...
I agree that a Daredevil reboot would be great, particularly with his gallery of messed up romances, but Batman is not exactly lacking in the character. I'm hoping you haven't forgot Talia and Selena Kyle? There are few romances more intriguing than with one of your worst enemies daughters or a professional thief and narcisist whose lifestyle runs against everything you stand for, and yet you keep coming back for more.
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10-14-2008 @ 4:39PM
Elisabeth said...
Oh, I haven't forgotten Batman's comic book relationships -- I was talking about Nolan's take. His relationship with Dawes was almost sterile, and a pretty big flaw when it came to "The Dark Knight.
I'm really hoping that if he does a third film, he ups the ante when it comes to Batman, and the women he gets involved with. I'd love to see him get tangled up with Selina or Talia, I think the dynamics would make for great watching.
10-14-2008 @ 6:16PM
Scott K. said...
While I accept being in the (vast) minority, I enjoyed Daredevil (playground fight excepted). I thought Afflect did fine in the role. Not up there with the best superhero movies, but entertaining. That said, while it's been 20 years since I followed comic books, I would enjoy seeing a reboot of Daredevil if it brought something new to the table. I expect, however, that there are more than enough Marvel heroes (Antman?) getting the movie treatment for this to be more than a flight of fancy. For now. Maybe they should reboot Spider-Man and X-Men after the mess made by their third installments.
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