It seems that few people involved in Netflixs Daredevil, the streamers first Marvel series and reportedly one of its most-watched originals, saw the shows recent cancellation coming—including Charlie Cox.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly on Thursday, the actor said a lot of the shows cast and crew expected the series to continue: “I certainly did.”
“The truth is, I felt like we had a lot of stories to tell, and although I understand [the cancellation], Im very saddened by that,” Cox said. “Its just how business works. But also, these characters mean a lot to people. Its weird to think theres a chance I wont be playing Matt Murdock ever again. Thats a bizarre feeling, because that character has been such a huge part of my life for the last four and a half years.”
Daredevils sudden cancellation earlier this week was surprising, if not entirely shocking; as Disney prepares to launch its streaming service, Disney+, it has started yanking properties previously licensed to or produced in collaboration with Netflix. Iron Fist and Luke Cage have both been canceled as well, decisions that may or may not have been influenced by the advent of Disney+. But given Daredevils status as the originator of the Marvel world on Netflix, and its critical success, this cancellation feels different.
According to E.W., Daredevil was Netflixs fourth biggest show. It also launched a slate of superhero programming on the streaming platform, including the similarly beloved Jessica Jones. The writers for Daredevil had already drafted and pitched their fourth season to Netflix, and were waiting to hear theyd been renewed when they learned the show had been axed. Speaking with io9, writer Tamara Becher-Wilkinson, who wrote the episode “Karen” in Season 3 and had been brought on for Season 4, recalled the moment she and her colleagues found out they were not getting another season.
“[Showrunner Erik Oleson] got a call asking him to go down to see the Marvel executives, and I jokingly went Ooooooooh, like a third grader does when someone gets called to a principals office,” Becher-Wilkinson said. “Then, he waited for everybody to gather back in the writers room and he said, Netflix has decided not to move forward with season four. And thats all I remember, you know. I kind of missed the details because I was, like, so surprised.”
Given how positive reviews of the series had been, Becher-Wilkinson said she had thought there was no way it would get canceled. “If I was a betting woman, you know, my guess is that its the end of the Marvel universe on Netflix,” she added.
For Cox, playing Matt Murdoch has been a dream job. “Its so fun to do,” he told E.W. “You get to do all the acting obviously, which is great, but then theres also this really fun physical aspect to it with all the stunts and the fight choreography.” So it should probably surprise no one that when asked if hed take on the role again if asked, he replied, “Oh my God, yeah.”
“I dont know how this would happen,” Cox said, “but maybe one day we could pick up the baton and do it again.” For now, though, its probably fans to brace themselves—because given Daredevils fate, it seems likely that Jessica Jones and The Punisher could be next.
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Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Laura BradleyLaura Bradley is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.
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