Draft:Heaven's Half Hour

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"Heaven's Half Hour"
Daredevil: Born Again episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1
Directed byAaron Moorhead & Justin Benson
Written byDario Scardapane
Cinematography byHillary Fyfe Spera
Editing byCedric Nairn-Smith
Original release dateMarch 4, 2025 (2025-03-04)
Running time59 minutes
Cast
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"Heaven's Half Hour" is the first episode of the American television series Daredevil: Born Again, based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Daredevil. It sees Matt Murdock give up his identity as Daredevil, after a fateful tragedy struck. The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It was written by showrunner Dario Scardapane, and was directed by Aaron Moorhead & Justin Benson.

Charlie Cox reprises his role as Matt Murdock / Daredevil Marvel Television's Netflix series and previous MCU media, with Vincent D'Onofrio, Margarita Levieva, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Wilson Bethel, Zabryna Guevara, Nikki M. James, Genneya Walton, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, and Ayelet Zurer also starring.

"Heaven's Half Hour" was released on Disney+ on March 4, 2025.

Plot

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While out celebrating their associate Cherry's retirement, Matt Murdock, Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, and Karen Page are ambushed by Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter. Foggy is killed in the attack, causing an enraged Murdock to drop Dex off a roof, where Cherry discovers Murdock is the masked vigilante Daredevil. A year later, Murdock has retired as Daredevil and partnered with former district attorney Kirsten McDuffie. Karen has moved to San Francisco while Dex is given a life sentence for his crimes. Kirsten sets Murdock up on a date with therapist Heather Glenn and the two hit it off. After gaining enough signatures and with his wife Vanessa's support, Wilson Fisk decides to run for mayor of New York City on an anti-vigilantism campaign. While meeting with Murdock, Fisk assures him he was not involved in Foggy's murder and kept his promise to not hurt Murdock's friends.[a] When Murdock warns Fisk that he will retaliate if he steps out of line, Fisk counters that there will be consequences if Murdock resumes his activities as Daredevil. On his second date with Heather, Murdock learns that Fisk has won the election. While celebrating his victory, Fisk reveals to Vanessa he learned she cheated on him.

Production

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Development

[edit]

Initial work

[edit]

Marvel Studios decided to make a new Daredevil-led series in January 2022,[1]: 24  following the appearances of Matt Murdock / Daredevil and Wilson Fisk / Kingpin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Spider-Man: No Way Home and Disney+ miniseries Hawkeye (both 2021) respectively.[2] Charlie Cox discussed such a series in March, believing it should begin a few years after the end of the previous Daredevil (2015-2018) series and be "re-imagined".[3] Regarding whether it should be rated TV-MA as the Netflix series was, he believed Marvel Studios would be able to create a faithful version of the character without that rating. However, he found the comics "more exciting, readable, relatable when it lives in a darker space" such as Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev's run on the comics, and he felt important attributes of the character such as his age, Christian guilt and history with women were more mature subjects.[4] Cox was hopeful that a new series could have a more faithful adaptation of the "Born Again" storyline, from the comics by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, than the original series which had taken inspiration from that storyline for its third season.[5][3][4] He described the storyline as "kind of a PG comic" and a guide for how the series could work with that rating.[4]

Later in March, a Daredevil reboot series was reported to be in development with Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios Production and Development group executive Chris Gary as producers.[6][7][8] The series was confirmed to be in development for Disney+ in late May, with Matt Corman and Chris Ord attached as head writers and executive producers.[9][10] The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline Hollywood both described it as a fourth season of the original series.[11][12] During the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con in July, the series was officially announced as Daredevil: Born Again and was revealed to have 18 episodes for its first season.[13] Cox said an 18-episode series was a "huge undertaking" and was chosen in part due to the many story possibilities that come with Murdock being a lawyer.[14] Christian Holub at Entertainment Weekly believed the title was a reference to the character "literally being 'born again' into the official MCU" rather than the series being an adaptation of the "Born Again" storyline.[15] Cox described Born Again as a "whole new thing" and not a fourth season of the Netflix series, which he felt was "the way to go. If you are going to do it again, do it differently".[16]

Michael Cuesta was revealed to be directing the first episode of the series in March 2023. Additional directors were expected to direct blocks of episodes.[17] Vincent D'Onofrio said they were working on two seasons and there would be "gigantic payoffs" during the second one. He reiterated that they were approaching the new series differently from the Netflix series,[18] with few plans to connect to the original.[19] Jeffrey Nachmanoff and Clark Johnson—who was previously a director on the Marvel Netflix series Luke Cage (2016–2018)—joined the series as additional directors in May, with Johnson hired to direct two episodes.[20][21] David Boyd was also set to direct.[22]

Creative overhaul

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By late September 2023, while production was on hold due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, Marvel Studios decided to overhaul the series with a new creative direction.[6] Filming for six episodes was largely completed by then.[23] Marvel Studios had reviewed that footage and decided Born Again "wasn't working".[2][6] Corman and Ord were let go as head writers, as were the directors for the remainder of the series, and the studio began searching for new writers and directors. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Corman and Ord's episodic take was a large divergence from the Netflix series, including that Cox did not appear in costume as Daredevil until the fourth episode.[6] Marvel planned to retain some elements that had been shot, add new serialized elements and move closer to the tone of the Netflix series.[6][24] Corman and Ord were expected to still be credited as executive producers.[6] Cox and D'Onofrio had not been convinced that the original approach was working,[23] with Cox saying it was confusing how Born Again was not a direct continuation of the Netflix series or a complete reboot. Brad Winderbaum, the head of streaming, television and animation at Marvel Studios, said the studio believed they could "play it loose" with the history of Daredevil but when they reviewed what had been shot so far they realized that they would have to either fully embrace the Netflix series or start over fresh.[2] D'Onofrio said it was Feige in particular who listened to him and Cox when the pair expressed their concerns about the project.[23]

Dario Scardapane, a writer on Netflix's Daredevil spin-off series The Punisher (2017–2019), was hired to serve as showrunner for Born Again in October 2023.[24] This came after Marvel changed its approach to television production to have more traditional showrunners rather than head writers.[6] Filmmaking duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, who previously worked on the Marvel Studios series Moon Knight (2022) and the second season of Loki (2021-2023), were hired to direct the remaining episodes of the first season.[24] Soon after Scardapane joined, the creative team decided that Born Again should harken back to the tone of the Netflix series and continue storylines from it, rather than be a complete reset.[25] Cox said there was a "fine balance to strike" with this approach, but thought the new creative direction had a good reason for "remaking it" while still being familiar to what came before.[19] In November 2023, Benson and Moorhead said they were reviewing the existing footage and looking to prior Daredevil content, including the Netflix series, to inform the foundation of their direction.[26] They said they were fans of Miller's "Born Again" run and Benson said he was a fan of Daredevil as a child despite not being "a huge comic book guy".[27] The duo said this was their first MCU project where they were able to find their footing early on after being "thrown in the deep end" with Moon Knight and Loki. They were also more comfortable working with the more grounded style of Born Again, which is similar to their independent films, compared to the "mind-bending sci-fi affairs" of those previous MCU projects. Moorhead described Born Again's stakes as "primal and graspable".[28] D'Onofrio said the directors were Marvel's "hottest talent",[25] and he was confident the series would work after they joined. His friend and Moon Knight co-star Ethan Hawke told D'Onofrio about his positive experience working with the pair and D'Onofrio was also a fan of their work on Loki, particularly how they handled violence.[29]

Three new episodes were written, including a new pilot episode, as well as additional scenes for the previously shot episodes.[23][30] Cox confirmed in May 2024 that nine episodes had been filmed,[31] which Feige said was the first season of Born Again.[32][33] Cuesta, Nachmanoff and Boyd were re-confirmed to be credited directors for the series.[22] Cox said the new version of the series was more in line with the Netflix series,[23] while D'Onofrio said he and others who worked on the previous version were pleased with the new iteration.[34]

Casting

[edit]

Starring in the first season are Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / Daredevil, Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk / Kingpin,[5] Margarita Levieva as Heather Glenn,[35] Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson,[36] Wilson Bethel as Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter,[37][38] Zabryna Guevara as Sheila Rivera,[39]: 12  Nikki M. James as Kirsten McDuffie,[39]: 5  Genneya Walton as BB Urich, Arty Froushan as Buck Cashman,[39]: 12  Clark Johnson as Cherry,[39]: 5  Michael Gandolfini as Daniel Blake,[40] and Ayelet Zurer as Vanessa Marianna-Fisk,[41] Before the creative overhaul, cast members from the Netflix series beyond Cox and D'Onofrio were not expected to reprise their roles,[42] and Sandrine Holt was cast to replace Zurer as Vanessa. Zurer was brought back after the overhaul,[17][41] along with Woll, Henson and Bethel.[36][37]

Filming and visual effects

[edit]

Filming took place at Silvercup Studios East in Queens,[43] with location work throughout New York,[44] with Benson & Moorhead directing.[24] Visual effects for the episode provided by Rise FX, FOLKS, Phosphene, Powerhouse VFX, Ghost VFX, Soho VFX, Cantina Creative, Anibrain, Base FX, SDFX and The Third Floor, Inc.[45]

Music

[edit]

"Future Starts Slow" by The Kills, "Into My Arms" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, "Headliner" by Tyrone Briggs and "I Looked All Over Town" by The Magnetic Fields are featured in the episode.[46]

Release

[edit]

The episode was released on Disney+ on March 4, 2025.[47]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ As depicted in the Daredevil episode "A New Napkin" (2018)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Shepherd, Jack (February 2025). "Dancing with the Devil". SFX. No. 388. United Kingdom: Future plc. pp. 22–31.
  2. ^ a b c Romano, Nick (February 19, 2025). "To hell and back: Daredevil is Born Again as stars preview their Marvel resurrection and season 2 plans (exclusive)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 19, 2025. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Scott, Ryan (March 16, 2022). "Charlie Cox Hints At What Could Happen In A Potential Daredevil Season 4". /Film. Archived from the original on March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Barnhardt, Adam (March 2, 2022). "Daredevil's Charlie Cox Chats Kin Renewal, MCU Future, and More". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  5. ^ a b McWhertor, Michael (July 23, 2022). "Daredevil returns with new Disney Plus series Daredevil: Born Again". Polygon. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Kit, Borys (October 11, 2023). "'Daredevil' Hits Reset Button as Marvel Overhauls Its TV Business". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  7. ^ Barnhardt, Adam (March 17, 2022). "Daredevil Reboot Series Reported to Begin Filming This Year". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  8. ^ Venable, Nick (March 17, 2022). "A Daredevil Reboot Is Moving Forward With Disney, But We Have Questions". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  9. ^ Otterson, Joe (May 19, 2022). "'Daredevil' Disney+ Series in the Works With Matt Corman, Chris Ord Set to Write (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  10. ^ Kit, Borys (May 19, 2022). "'Daredevil' Disney+ Series in the Works at Marvel". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  11. ^ Couch, Aaron; Kit, Borys (July 7, 2022). "Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio Returning for Marvel Series 'Echo'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  12. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 7, 2022). "'Echo': Charlie Cox's Daredevil & Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin Returning For Marvel Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  13. ^ Vary, Adam B. (July 23, 2022). "Marvel Studios' Phases 5 and 6: Everything We Learned at Comic-Con About the Multiverse Saga". Variety. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  14. ^ Bucksbaum, Sydney (October 17, 2022). "Charlie Cox talks putting Daredevil's cowl back on for She-Hulk and upcoming Disney+ series". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  15. ^ Holub, Christian (July 23, 2022). "Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio will return to the MCU in Daredevil: Born Again". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  16. ^ Barnhardt, Adam (September 10, 2022). "Daredevil Star Charlie Cox Confirms Born Again is a Reboot". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Kit, Borys (March 10, 2023). "'Daredevil: Born Again' Lands 'Dexter' Director Michael Cuesta (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  18. ^ Simons, Roxy (March 27, 2023). "Exclusive: Vincent D'Onofrio Reveals 'Daredevil: Born Again' Season 2 Already Planned". Newsweek. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  19. ^ a b Darwish, Meaghan (May 16, 2024). "'Daredevil's Charlie Cox & Vincent D'Onofrio on Finding Balance Between 'Born Again' & Original Series". TV Insider. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  20. ^ Barnhardt, Adam (May 3, 2023). "Daredevil: Born Again Adds Lovecraft Country Director". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  21. ^ Cordero, Rosy (May 18, 2023). "'Daredevil: Born Again': Clark Johnson To Recur & Direct Disney+ Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 18, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  22. ^ a b "The Unmatched Power of Disney Storytelling on Display from Disney Entertainment on Night One of D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event". The Walt Disney Company. August 9, 2024. Archived from the original on August 11, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  23. ^ a b c d e Franklin-Wallis, Oliver (February 18, 2025). "How Daredevil rescued Charlie Cox". British GQ. Archived from the original on February 18, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  24. ^ a b c d Kit, Borys (October 27, 2023). "'Daredevil' TV Series Lands New Showrunner, Directors (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  25. ^ a b Davids, Brian (January 16, 2024). "'Echo' Star Vincent D'Onofrio Talks Kingpin's Next Move and 'Daredevil: Born Again' Reboot". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  26. ^ Ortiz, Andi (November 13, 2023). "New 'Daredevil' Directors Say They're at 'Day 0' on Series: We're 'Consuming … All the Possible Material'". TheWrap. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  27. ^ Barnhardt, Adam (November 13, 2023). "Daredevil: Born Again Directors Discuss Approach to Disney+ Series (Exclusive)". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  28. ^ Butcher, Jack (April 2025). "To Hell and Back". Empire. No. 438. United Kingdom: Bauer Media Group. p. 67. "I think this was our first show where we came in and fully had our footing?" Benson asks his co-director. "I'd say so," Moorhead replies. "Because even with Loki, there's no way not to be thrown in the deep end, because you're building an entire world. This one felt immediately accessible to us, because the stakes are extremely primal and graspable. There are two men, in opposition to each other, that couldn't be more different." While the grounded, gritty setting of Daredevil might feel a long way away from Benson and Moorhead's usual mind-bending sci-fi affairs, for the directors it's the most at home they've felt in the MCU so far. "Our indie films are extremely naturalistic, and tend to exist in a world where if a human falls down, it's going to hurt," Benson explains. "In that way, this show's a much better match for us than any other superhero project we've done." Moorhead agrees.
  29. ^ Murray, Emily (February 24, 2025). "Daredevil: Born Again star Vincent D'Onofrio says Ethan Hawke played a key role in convincing him that the show was in good hands following a failed attempt". Total Film. GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on February 24, 2025. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  30. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (February 23, 2025). "Charlie Cox: Daredevil Got 'Upgrade' With Move to Marvel Studios — Plus, What All Survived Born Again's 'Creative Overhaul'?". TVLine. Archived from the original on February 24, 2025. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  31. ^ DeVore, Britta (May 14, 2024). "Charlie Cox Reveals How Many 'Daredevil: Born Again' Episodes They've Filmed". Collider. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  32. ^ Campione, Katie; D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 10, 2024). "'Daredevil: Born Again' Trailer Shows Wilson Fisk & Matt Murdock Going Head-To-Head; Season 2 Shooting Soon – D23". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 10, 2024. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  33. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (August 10, 2024). "Daredevil: Born Again Releases First Trailer, Filming on Season 2 Starts 'Soon'". TVLine. Archived from the original on August 10, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  34. ^ Hambrick, Allison (October 19, 2024). "Kingpin Actor Addresses How The Daredevil: Born Again Cast Felt About The MCU Show Before Marvel's Massive Creative Overhaul". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on October 20, 2024. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  35. ^ West, Amy; Shepherd, Jack (January 27, 2025). "Daredevil: Born Again showrunner had a "very early" vision for the show, but was forced to pivot after it got in the way of "Marvel's master plan"". SFX. GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on January 27, 2025. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  36. ^ a b Anderson, Jenna (January 12, 2024). "Daredevil: Born Again Reportedly Bringing Back Major Marvel Netflix Stars". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on January 13, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  37. ^ a b Barnhardt, Adam (January 23, 2024). "Wilson Bethel's Bullseye Returning for Daredevil: Born Again (Exclusive)". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  38. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 23, 2024). "'Daredevil: Born Again' – Wilson Bethel Returns As Bullseye In Marvel Series On Disney+". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  39. ^ a b c d "Daredevil Born Again Production Brief Final 02–18–25". The Walt Disney Studios. February 24, 2025. Archived from the original on February 25, 2025. Retrieved February 24, 2025 – via Getty Images.
  40. ^ George, Joe (March 5, 2025). "Daredevil Comics Originally Had a Much Stranger Version of the Daniel Blake Storyline". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on March 6, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  41. ^ a b McPhearson, Chris (April 7, 2024). "New 'Daredevil: Born Again' Set Image Reveals Ayelet Zurer Will Return as Vanessa Fisk". Collider. Archived from the original on April 7, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  42. ^ Kit, Borys; Couch, Aaron (March 7, 2023). "Jon Bernthal Returning as The Punisher for 'Daredevil: Born Again'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  43. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 8, 2023). "'Daredevil: Born Again' Production Suspended After Striking Writers Picket Disney+ Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  44. ^ Barnhardt, Adam (March 6, 2023). "Daredevil: Born Again Fans Celebrate Series as Filming Starts". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  45. ^ "Daredevil: Born Again". Art of VFX. March 7, 2025. Archived from the original on March 7, 2025. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  46. ^ Griffin, Louise (March 12, 2025). "Daredevil: Born Again soundtrack – Full list of songs in Disney Plus series". Radio Times. Archived from the original on March 14, 2025. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  47. ^ Oganesyan, Natalie (October 19, 2024). "Marvel's 'Daredevil: Born Again' Sets Premiere Date On Disney+". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 19, 2024. Retrieved October 19, 2024.


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