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EDITORIAL: Six Possible Directors for DAREDEVIL

A compilation of directors to take on a cinematic Daredevil storyline.

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By BattlinMurdock - 8/16/2012
Let's go ahead and get this out of the way: I love David Fincher. He's my favorite contemporary director. And I don't want him for my favorite superhero movie for the sole purpose that something about his style of filmmaking doesn't quite fit the glove of Daredevil. I can't quite put my finger on it, but for some reason, hearing "David Fincher's Daredevil" doesn't excite me as much as I think it should. It's something about the fact that while I think his movies are excellent, they never have any real energy behind them. They're not movies that, in my opinion, can be watched multiple times, and sometimes they're so cut and dry that it underwhelms the director's vision.

My favorite Fincher film is Zodiac, but the film does meander quite a bit. While he's my favorite director because of his work ethic and the masterful flavor he's able to put into each film, I don't believe he's stylistic and pulpy enough for Daredevil.

That being said, the following are my choices for a Daredevil film.

6. Gary Ross


Notable Films: The Hunger Games, Seabiscuit, Pleasantville

Upcoming Films: The Free State of Jones

After wowing audiences with his take on the popular Hunger Games franchise, Ross added to his resume a blockbuster film with a well-deserved sigh of relief. So, what's a director like Ross doing on a Daredevil director wish list?

Let's use Hunger Games as an example. Ross managed to take the content of the book and wrap it neatly into a PG-13 box without disturbing a majority of the content; all the while staying as faithful as possible to the material. We've seen him work wonders with a female lead which could really stretch the extra mile for characters like Karen Page or Elektra. In all, Ross is a conservative filmmaker with the content of a film (knowing how much is "too" much) and an advocate for respecting the source material.

5. Jee-woon Kim


Notable Films: I Saw the Devil; The Good, the Bad, and the Weird; A Bittersweet Life

Upcoming Films: The Last Stand

One of the most stylistic and brutal filmmakers working today, Kim has a resume of glorious looking films. His most prime example, I Saw the Devil, while a complete stomach-churning, emotional marathon of a film is shot with a striking elegance. Kim makes the list for capturing images that really resonate with an audience. I'd recommend IStD for those with a strong stomach to see some incredible filmmaking techniques.

4. Martin McDonagh


Notable Films: In Bruges

Upcoming Films: Seven Psychopaths

Considered a newbie to the directing world, McDonagh is an established playwright who knows and understands character development. His directing debut with In Bruges might be one of the classiest debuts ever, throwing into his picture high-string energy with subtle emotional tangents. A director with the ability to find a comically dark tone while still providing dramatic layers to each character could be quite welcoming to the comic universe.

3. Ben Affleck


Notable Films: Gone Baby Gone, The Town

Upcoming Films: Argo

A director who is no stranger to the man in the red suit, Affleck is a powerhouse of a director; able not only to weave together a fantastic story, but direct his actors to wonderful performances. Also an accomplished screenwriter, it'd be neat to see if Affleck could fill out an entire comic book movie and not just the suit, itself.

2. Rian Johnson


Notable Films: Brick, The Brothers Bloom

Upcoming Films: Looper

Another popular and upcoming director, Johnson is no stranger to noir (Brick) and fun, pulpy characters (TBB). Giving him a big budget, larger than life characters, and an intimate, narrow scope of New York city could be the break we've all been looking for. Johnson seems like a director eager to surprise at every corner, and Daredevil is a property that allows him to capitalize on all of his talents thus far; while providing a little something new moviegoers have yet to see.

1. Tomas Alfredson


Notable Films: Let the Right One In; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Upcoming Productions: TBA

Alfredson has proved that he can work with the simplest story (LtROI) and the most complicated one (TTSS) and also reigns supreme as a master of effective imagery. Giving him a layered story exploring the law aspect of the Daredevil mythos and combining it with the close, intimate relationship aspect of Matt Murdock and his friends, Alfredson has a chance not only to capture the soul of the characters, but the soul of the city itself. A tense, taut Daredevil film is something that I'm waiting for, and I think Alfredson could really deliver.
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21 Comments
RunDTC - 8/16/2012, 3:06 PM
David Fincher?
marvel72 - 8/16/2012, 3:18 PM
yup,david fincher would be my choice as well.
IronLeprechaun - 8/16/2012, 3:24 PM
David Fincher is mine also
SmellofDuty - 8/16/2012, 3:32 PM
After watching Brick Rian Johnson, is one of my favorites. Such an amazing movie!
BattlinMurdock - 8/16/2012, 3:33 PM

Like I said; Fincher's my favorite director and Daredevil is my favorite superhero, but Fincher's style is not stylistic enough, in my opinion, for the character of Daredevil.

“A movie is made for an audience and a film is made for both the audience and the filmmakers. I think that The Game is a movie and I think Fight Club‘s a film. I think that Fight Club is more than the sum of its parts, whereas Panic Room is the sum of its parts. I didn’t look at Panic Room and think: Wow, this is gonna set the world on fire. These are footnote movies, guilty pleasure movies. Thrillers. Woman-trapped-in-a-house movies. They’re not particularly important.” - David Fincher

So, what would DD be to Fincher? A movie or a film? I feel like it'd be a movie. It's not a passion project of his by any means, and he's expressed no desire to helm. While we fans see Daredevil as a possible vehicle to explore numerous themes not yet covered in CBMs, would he? I would say that out of Fincher's filmmography, by his logic, his "films" would be Zodiac, The Social Network, Se7en, and Fight Club. His other films probably fall into his "movie" category.

This, to me, is an issue for two reasons:

1)If Fincher goes his "movie" route, we get a good movie with no real devotion to the characters or source material.
2) If Fincher makes a "film," he's not likely to return to the franchise a-la Christopher Nolan and the movie would probably take a much different direction than the source material.
Tainted87 - 8/16/2012, 3:34 PM
Let the Right One In is one of the most underrated and understated vampire movies of all time. I hate that it is always overlooked by the stupid American remake: Let Me In.

On a related note, David Fincher felt the need to remake Sweden's most popular movie trilogy (well, the first one anyway), so my respect for him has plummeted, for shame.

I like Tomas Alfredson - he can do period pieces VERY well.
95 - 8/16/2012, 3:39 PM
Jacky Timish / John Jones!
ComicCritic's Daredevil!
I like the sound of that.
95 - 8/16/2012, 3:45 PM
Nicholas Winding Refn. I honestly would like to see a Daredevil set in present day, with the style of the 1970s. Then again, due to his connections with Joss Whedon, his vocal interest in the character, and solid pen work — Drew Goddard. As for your pick, all amazing directors from what I can see, your reasons are convincing — Rian Johnson is my pick of your choices.
marvel72 - 8/16/2012, 3:54 PM
@ BattlinMurdock

when i watch seven,that movie has a look & feel to it that i think suits daredevil.

reminds me of hell's kitchen.
BattlinMurdock - 8/16/2012, 3:59 PM
@marvel72

There's really nothing that stands out to me about how Se7en is filmed, to be honest. It's made like a pretty generic thriller for the most part. It's the actual story and delivery of that final scene that makes the whole movie worth it. A lot of serial killer movies fall short per their ending, but Se7en does the opposite. The mystery and the deaths are intriguing and the characters are appropriately developed, but what separates the film from other works like it is that it's almost a complete build-up to an unnerving, and very "new" climax. And then it drops off and ends within less than two minutes.

Se7en is like a joke with an immaculate, out of the blue punchline that you felt you should have seen coming, but had no means of figuring it out on your own. It's a fantastic movie and one of Fincher's finest, but it merely reworks a formula by using the formula itself.
gamecreatorjj - 8/16/2012, 6:04 PM
David Fincher is my pick, he makes great crime films
BattlinMurdock - 8/16/2012, 6:25 PM
...considering he was attached to a Spider-Man film at one point...yeah.
BattlinMurdock - 8/16/2012, 10:36 PM
Lol you don't know anything, do you? Seeing as though I've read the chapter about the production trials of James Cameron's Spider-Man movie in "The Greatest Movies Never Made" and seeing as how you like to make things up on the spot to validate your point, I can't take anything you say seriously.

What did Fincher have to say about his version of Spidey? "My impression what Spider-Man could be is very different from what Sam [Raimi] did or what Sam wanted to do. I think the reason he directed that movie was because he wanted to do the Marvel comic superhero. I was never interested in the genesis story. I couldn’t get past a guy getting bit by a red and blue spider. It was just a problem… It was not something that I felt I could do straight-faced. I wanted to start with Gwen Stacy and the Green Goblin, and I wanted to kill Gwen Stacy. The title sequence of the movie that I was going to do was going to be a ten minute — basically a music video, an opera, which was going to be the one shot that took you through the entire Peter Parker [backstory]. Bit by a radio active spider, the death of Uncle Ben, the loss of Mary Jane, and [then the movie] was going to begin with Peter meeting Gwen Stacy. It was a very different thing, it wasn’t the teenager story. It was much more of the guy who’s settled into being a freak."

As much as I love Fincher, a guy so adamant on not finding a character's origin story believable is a bit of a no-no for me.

But he's not out of the game. He's been shopping around this trailer for "The Goon" trying to fund an animated feature for it.



So, do me a favor. Before you try to come to my articles and bash people attempting to justify their thinking in a director, remember that, in reality, you'll be bashing people who know more than you. You'll be defining yourself as a fool. Have a good day, enjoy that foot in your mouth.
QuinlanVos - 8/16/2012, 10:53 PM
Ben Affleck-Director
Jon Favs/ Kevin Smith-Writers

Would be KICK ASS because they all came out in the first one.
Jollem - 8/17/2012, 12:15 AM
director?...i thought marvel studios WAS a director :p
BattlinMurdock - 8/17/2012, 12:22 AM
It makes more sense to me that Fincher would adapt The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay then actually step into the superhero world.

Like I said, I love Fincher, but I don't think his style fits. None of his images pop.

He's not stylistic enough in the sense that his style doesn't reflect what I would want out of a DD film. I don't want low contrast, earthy picture. I feel DD would be better with major contrasts. Stunning imagery. That was one thing that I liked about Carnahan's pitch; the sense that the imagery would have been bold and effective.

When you've got a character running around in a deep, red suit, you don't want him to blend. You need a major contrast. The same with his rogues gallery of villains.
IronLeprechaun - 8/17/2012, 4:10 AM
as for the writers I have no clue who it would be.............
aurorsand147 - 8/17/2012, 4:00 PM
having watched both Tinker and Let the right one in, which is one of the best horror movie to come out recently, my choice would be Tomas Alfredson. his movies are dark and subtle
YipCha - 8/17/2012, 4:50 PM
Hmm, not a fan of the Hunger Games director myself. I thought the movie was a terrible adaptation. The others would be okay, but I think there are better directors out there. David Fincher I think could do an awesome job...whether he would or not I'm not sure.

I'd be interested in seeing what James McTeigue, the Wachowski's, Martin Campbell, or Zack Snyder could do with the character as well.

I feel like DareDevil needs a blend of interesting choreography/effects and gritty realistic crime drama. Almost conflicting needs but if someone could pull it off well we could have something really special on our hands.
YipCha - 8/17/2012, 4:55 PM
@earzmundo I like the alfonso cuaron suggestion a lot as well. That could be really interesting.
BizarroGrif - 8/18/2012, 11:58 AM
Rian Johnson is an inspired choice.

As for DD himself? Fassbender. JK. He should play ever comic book character ever. Even Sue Storm.

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