Long ago, in the before time, I put forth five names to replace Ben Affleck as Matt Murdock in a "Daredevil" movie. Fast-forward two years and two months later and, yes, we have a director, but we still do not have a Man Without Fear.
Recently, David Slade said that there is no "Daredevil" update at the moment, with progress moving slowly on the loose adaptation of Frank Miller's "Born Again" arc. To do our small part in speeding things along, I thought we should revisit the idea of casting Murdock for the "Daredevil" reboot. Mostly new names this time around, with one of the old guys hanging on because he's still my personal favorite.
Read on for "Daredevil" casting suggestions, round two!
Armie Hammer
He's 6'5", 220 pounds, and even if there aren't two of him, one will do the trick. Years ago, I was one of those people moaning about some shmohawk kid named Armie Hammer playing Bruce Wayne in a "Justice League" movie. Today, I know I'm not alone in thinking he'd be great for that role. I think he'd be equally great, if not better, as Daredevil: tall and imposing with a voice and presence demanding attention, Hammer's Man Without Fear is a man who could seriously kick your ass. Plus, based on "Social Network" alone, you know he'd rock Murdock's lawyer gear with ease.
Josh Hartnett
Before Henry Cavill and even Brandon Routh, Josh Hartnett was nearly the Man of Steel. He passed on truth, justice and the American way, but Hartnett has since starred in two comic book movies — "Sin City" and, would you believe it, "30 Days of Night" for would-be "Daredevil" director Slade. Hartnett looks the part, can act the part, and can look fantastic beating bad guys into submission. (Please see his work in "Bunraku" for more on that last point.) If anyone can convince the man to wear tights, perhaps Slade's the guy.
Michael Fassbender
Forget for a moment that he's Magneto, and as the Master of Magnetism, his chances of playing Murdock are slim to zero. But in an alternate universe where "X-Men: First Class" does not exist, Fassbender is currently killing it as the red vigilante. No one would deny that he's got acting chops to spare for the role. But he's got great physicality, too, demonstrated perfectly not just in his excellent "Haywire" fight scene, but also in his approach to David the android in the upcoming "Prometheus" — a character he once described as inspired by Olympic diver Greg Louganis. Sounds like a perfect fit for the Man Without Fear, no?
The Oft-Rumored Robert Pattinson
Whoa, please, put the torches away for a minute, lynch mob! He's not my first pick either, but there are positives to consider: 1) He looks the part. 2) He brings star power and box office ability to the role. 3) Like Hartnett, Pattinson's worked with David Slade before, so that all-too-important comfort level between director and actor is already there. 4) "Twilight" aside, Pattinson's making some risky choices lately, most especially David Cronenberg's "Cosmopolis," a potential game-changer for the actor. 5) Fine, if none of that works for you, consider this: he'd be forced to wear bright red spandex. Humiliation-by-superhero costume is the sincerest form of nerd revenge.
Wentworth Miller
The lone holdover from my last round of "Daredevil" casting is still my favorite pick. Honestly, I stick with what I said last time: "'Prison Break' star Wentworth Miller isn't exactly a dead ringer for Matt Murdock, but he's got every other required quality in spades — he's an excellent actor that exudes cool, calm and collected, unless he wants to let his inner demons come out in full force. If Miller played Murdock with the same intensity he brought to Michael Scofield, there's no question that he would own the role." Well said, two-years-ago-me!
Tell us who you would cast as Daredevil in the comments section or on Twitter!
