Recast The Defenders For The Big Screen

[jolldan]

Now while I loved Charlie Cox interpretation of Daredevil, Kristen Ritter's of Jessica Jones, Vincent D'Onofrio's of Kingpin and many more I don't think the chances of them all returning to these roles under Disney/Marvel are very high.

So was wondering if lets say Marvel announce that a Defenders movie is in the works which actors would you pick to takeover the roles and why (although you don't have to give any reasoning if you don't wish to). I will get us started us off with my choices.

Daredevil - Patrick Wilson

Do you ever just see an actor and think "damn he would be good as x or y". Well all the way back in 2009 when Watchmen was released I thought to myself he would make a great Daredevil. Now 11 years on you might think he's getting a bit old for that role but if anything I like him for it now even more. In his mid 40's I can very easily buy the idea of Wilson as an experienced lawyer and at the same time we have seen in Watchmen & Aquaman that he can pull of the physical side as well.

Jessica Jones - Felicity Jones

This might make for a easier acquisition than some others as Felicity has already worked with Disney on Rogue One. Ritter felt damn near perfect in this role for me so its really about trying to get who I think would be the next best for the role. Felicity seems to have everything she's very pretty, I can buy her as very street smart and even as potentially a little prickly which I think is important for Jessica. And hey she's already got the same last name, its fate lol.

Luke Cage - D.B. Woodside

Nothing against Luke Colter but bar Michael Jai White (who I never thought would get the role) Woodside was my number one pick to play Cage. He can pull of effortlessly charming type, the jacked brawler and the silent stoic type which are three traits that I think are important to Cage, at 52 there are maybe questions about his longevity in a role like this but Woodside can easily pull of a believable 40 year old.

Iron Fist - Alexander Richard Pettyfer

Now Finn I think is where they kind of just missed the mark, yes Colter wouldnt have been my choice for Cage but there could be no argument that he did a good job at the very least. Now I don't want to put all the blame on Jones because personally I think it was combination of him, poor fight choreography and editing. So one thing I think Marvel should really consider this time is an actor who already has some degree of martial arts training or knowledge, which Pettyfer does have from his Stormbreaker days.

So those are my picks, who would you go with?

 

[NotNickFury]

I could see Michael Fassbender as Matt Murdock.

 

[InCali]

I think I'd go in a different direction. I'd love to see a Defenders movie and think it could be spectacular. I'm thinking this might be a great avenue for more Dr. Strange, Valkyrie and Hulk (Ruffalo seems to want to continue). Bring in Namor, Clea, Silver Surfer, etc.

This could be really awesome.

 

[Stormborn]

I don't mind too much if they recast the rest but Charlie Cox and Jon Bernthal deserve to be brought back if they want to keep playing Daredevil/Punisher.

They both nailed it and any replacements will struggle to live up to them.

Same goes for Vincent D'onofrio as Kingpin and Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson.

 

[jolldan]

I don't really mind if they recast the rest but Charlie Cox and Jon Bernthal deserve to be brought back if they want to keep playing Daredevil/Punisher.

They both nailed it and any replacements will struggle to live up to them.

Same goes for Vincent D'onofrio and Elden Henson.

Dear me how did I forget to do one for the Punisher

 

[NotNickFury]

I don't really mind if they recast the rest but Charlie Cox and Jon Bernthal deserve to be brought back if they want to keep playing Daredevil/Punisher.

They both nailed it and any replacements will struggle to live up to them.

Same goes for Vincent D'onofrio as Kingpin and Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson.

Well, brace yourself for the recast announcements because they won't be back. We know Feige will cast someone to play those characters in the MCU-proper.

 

[BoredGuy]

No we don't
he's never said anything about it, and the only rumors I've seen were about them maybe coming back
I've heard no definitive news saying "those actors are done"

 

[NotNickFury]

We've heard no definitive news saying that those actors are coming back, either. Nor does Feige have any reason to utilize them when, as with Agents of SHIELD and these other shows, they aren't in the MCU as far as the film side is concerned, so why would he use them?

 

[Stormborn]

Well, brace yourself for the recast announcements because they won't be back. We know Feige will cast someone to play those characters in the MCU-proper.

I doubt you know any more than the rest of us about whether they're planning to recast or not.

I suspect they won't recast Cox for the sake of it because there's just no good reason to. Charlie Cox absolutely nailed it as Daredevil, he comes with a fan following and his show was always written to be part of the wider MCU.

On the other hand, there's a major risk that a recast Daredevil will seem second rate compared to the hit show and won't go down well.

 

[NotNickFury]

Fans will get over a recast the same way fans got over a new Batman, Superman, Joker, or Spider-Man. At best, they'll gripe about it on Twitter or message boards and then get over it. People, myself included, love Cox as Matt Murdock, but those shows aren't any more directly a part of the MCU than Runaways or Cloak and Dagger.

Cox's fan base isn't going to be a factor into him being part of the greater MCU and I'd think that the casting of Mahershala Ali as Blade would be enough of an indication that who those actors played in the Marvel/Netflix world doesn't matter anymore, but I suppose anything people have to hold onto some semblance of hope that they'll see those actors again.

 

[Stormborn]

Fans will get over a recast the same way fans got over a new Batman, Superman, Joker, or Spider-Man. At best, they'll gripe about it on Twitter or message boards and then get over it. People, myself included, love Cox as Matt Murdock, but those shows aren't any more directly a part of the MCU than Runaways or Cloak and Dagger.

Cox's fan base isn't going to be a factor into him being part of the greater MCU and I'd think that the casting of Mahershala Ali as Blade would be enough of an indication that who those actors played in the Marvel/Netflix world doesn't matter anymore, but I suppose anything people have to hold onto some semblance of hope that they'll see those actors again.

On a business level, I just don't see why they would want to recast if Cox is available. He's still the right age, he's consistently nailed the part in a show that was written to fit in with the wider MCU and if they want a version of Daredevil that'll be popular with fans and critics he's their best bet.

They recast Spider-Man because Andrew Garfield was way too old to play a high school kid and his films were panned by critics and didn't fit with MCU canon. They recast Hulk because Edward Norton was a pain to work with. Those reasons don't apply to Cox.

On a personal level, I'll be far less interested in watching some new actor's take on Daredevil. Chances are that whoever they cast just isn't going to be as good and any attempt to retell the origin story or rehash Born Again after DD Season 3 nailed it will be second rate.

 

[InCali]

I don't really mind if they recast the rest but Charlie Cox and Jon Bernthal deserve to be brought back if they want to keep playing Daredevil/Punisher.

They both nailed it and any replacements will struggle to live up to them.

Same goes for Vincent D'onofrio as Kingpin and Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson.

For me, I would add Ritter to the list.

 

[Stormborn]

For me, I would add Ritter to the list.

Yeah, she was great too (Season 1 was far better than 2 & 3 but that was mostly because S1 had Kilgrave and the other villains couldn't live up to that).

Unless they start making R rated MCU films, they're probably not going to use Jessica Jones on the big screen anyway.

 

[Dark Raven]

I think I'd go in a different direction. I'd love to see a Defenders movie and think it could be spectacular. I'm thinking this might be a great avenue for more Dr. Strange, Valkyrie and Hulk (Ruffalo seems to want to continue). Bring in Namor, Clea, Silver Surfer, etc.

This could be really awesome.

I'd definitely go in this direction, especially if they're going to use the name "Defenders" at all on the big screen. I don't mind seeing the Netflix Defenders on the big screen, but call them something different like Heroes for Hire or Marvel Knights or something. Not the Defenders.

I don't really mind if they recast the rest but Charlie Cox and Jon Bernthal deserve to be brought back if they want to keep playing Daredevil/Punisher.

They both nailed it and any replacements will struggle to live up to them.

Same goes for Vincent D'onofrio as Kingpin and Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson.

I'd keep all of these. I don't think they're going to find someone who looks as much like Kingpin as D'Onofrio. I'd like his big screen portrayal to be a little different though. They really need to reset Kingpin and Daredevil back to a point they were in Season 1 where Kingpin wasn't yet in prison and seemed more like a legitimate businessman. As things were with both characters at the end of season 3, they were too far gone to realistically operate anymore. DD wouldn't even be ever wearing a red costume anymore because of the stigma of that costume after Bullseye ruined his reputation with it.

They should just reuse the actors but ignore some of the series. Think of them like Judy Dench playing M in the Daniel Craig Bond films even though it was a reboot, or Christopher Lee playing Dracula in numerous unconnected films even though he'd been killed off in a different movie.

With Punisher, I don't really want to see another actor in the role yet again. He's been recast so many times. Bernthal is good enough, but I'd give his costume an upgrade to make the skull more prominent and maybe even give him white boots and gloves. Also let him grow his hair out to a decent length where he can slick it back.

 

[NotNickFury]

On a business level, I just don't see why they would want to recast if Cox is available. He's still the right age, he's consistently nailed the part in a show that was written to fit in with the wider MCU and if they want a version of Daredevil that'll be popular with fans and critics he's their best bet.

They recast Spider-Man because Andrew Garfield was way too old to play a high school kid and his films were panned by critics and didn't fit with MCU canon. They recast Hulk because Edward Norton was a pain to work with. Those reasons don't apply to Cox.

On a personal level, I'll be far less interested in watching some new actor's take on Daredevil. Chances are that whoever they cast just isn't going to be as good and any attempt to retell the origin story or rehash Born Again after DD Season 3 nailed it will be second rate.

But again, you don't know that because you haven't seen anyone else in the role after Cox. Because the actor who plays Matt Murdock after Cox could be better or worse, but we have no idea because we haven't seen them yet. Though I notice you only highlighted Spider-Man and Hulk replacements and not the others. Especially since anyone hedging their bets on Garfield returning in the MCU has a good odds as anyone betting that Cox will play Daredevil in the MCU-proper.

Point isn't the why of the replacements, but that fans loved previous incarnations of characters and despite stomping their feet and declaring that one actor was perfect in the role, someone's going to step into those shoes eventually.

 

[InCali]

But again, you don't know that because you haven't seen anyone else in the role after Cox. Because the actor who plays Matt Murdock after Cox could be better or worse, but we have no idea because we haven't seen them yet. Though I notice you only highlighted Spider-Man and Hulk replacements and not the others. Especially since anyone hedging their bets on Garfield returning in the MCU has a good odds as anyone betting that Cox will play Daredevil in the MCU-proper.

Point isn't the why of the replacements, but that fans loved previous incarnations of characters and despite stomping their feet and declaring that one actor was perfect in the role, someone's going to step into those shoes eventually.

I think what's going on here is people are "hoping" Cox will return and you're squashing those hopes LOL. In reality, you're probably right, but I'd say the odds of Cox returning are a little bit better than Garfield.

To be fair, I LOVED Norton's Hulk. When I heard he wasn't returning, I was very disappointed. Ruffalo, however, is a terrific actor and I thought he did a terrific job so there you go.

The main thing for me is, I think Marvel would be really smart to go in this direction with Strange and his compatriots and leave The Avengers to BP and CM. The big team ups of both groups could be down the road. Plus now we've got X and FF in the fold....all these new toys to play with....

 

[Stormborn]

They really need to reset Kingpin and Daredevil back to a point they were in Season 1 where Kingpin wasn't yet in prison and seemed more like a legitimate businessman. As things were with both characters at the end of season 3, they were too far gone to realistically operate anymore. DD wouldn't even be ever wearing a red costume anymore because of the stigma of that costume after Bullseye ruined his reputation with it.

They should just reuse the actors but ignore some of the series. Think of them like Judy Dench playing M in the Daniel Craig Bond films even though it was a reboot, or Christopher Lee playing Dracula in numerous unconnected films even though he'd been killed off in a different movie.

Or like JK Simmons playing multiple versions of Jameson, Kevin Conroy voicing multiple versions of Batman etc.

It could work but I can't think of much that they'd need to ignore. The Daredevil show was written to fit in with the MCU and they can get Matt back into the red suit or Kingpin out of jail without a reboot.

We've seen with Spider-Man and Hulk that the MCU writers are fine with skipping origin stories. They can just have an already experienced Daredevil join the films.

But again, you don't know that because you haven't seen anyone else in the role after Cox. Because the actor who plays Matt Murdock after Cox could be better or worse, but we have no idea because we haven't seen them yet.

The choice is between

1. Charlie Cox. Proven track record of nailing it in the role of Daredevil in the most popular MCU TV show.
2. A gamble on another actor when there isn't really much room for improvement and there's a risk that the new guy wouldn't go down as well with fans/critics.

So yeah, Cox seems like the safe bet to me.

Though I notice you only highlighted Spider-Man and Hulk replacements and not the others.

Because those are the two major characters we've seen the MCU recast. My point was that there were good reasons to recast them whereas I've yet to hear a good reason for recasting Cox.

 

[Silvermoth]

Daredevil - Josh O’Connor
Luke Cage - Tyrese Gibson
Iron Fist - Harry Shum Jnr
Jessica Jones - Rose McGowan

 

[fan4stic]

Andrew Garfield as Matt Murdock

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Luke Cage

Emmy Rossum as Jessica Jones

Ray Stevenson as Wilson Fisk

Marion Cotillard as Vanessa

Blake Lively as Karen Page

Sarah Shahi as Elektra Natchios

Kate Mara as Trish

Jonny Lee Miller as Kilgrave

Boyd Holbrook as Bullseye

Jonah Hill as Foggy Nelson

Dylan O'Brien as Danny Rand

 

[BobJM]

Though I am opposed to the recast of any of these characters (I think they could easily be introduced in a feature Marvel Knights film, either in theaters or Disney+), here's a bit of fun for the thread's sake. I've mostly recast the Netflix series, but also added additional characters like Gorgon as the head of The Hand—and ignored certain character deaths

If the characters are to continue on to the screen, I think a loose continuity can be maintained with only passing references to past adventures (i.e. we can know there's a past between Elektra & Matt, or we can understand that Iron Fist and Luke Cage know each other and have teamed as Heroes for Hire before).

MCU DEFENDERS

Some directing choices ahead of the casting,

Daredevil - Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse, The Witch)
Jessica Jones - Lorene Scafaria (Hustlers, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist)
Luke Cage - Barry Jenkins (Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk)
Iron Fist - Hiro Murai (Atlanta, Barry)
Punisher - Josh Safdie (Uncut Gems, Good Time)

Heroes.

Daredevil: Nicholas Hoult, 30

Jessica Jones: Dakota Johnson, 30

Luke Cage: John David Washington, 35

Iron Fist: Jack Reynor, 28

Punisher: Joel Edgerton, 45

Allies.

Ben Urich: Courtney B. Vance, 59

Karen Page: Rachel Brosnahan, 29

Foggy Nelson: Paul Walter Hauser, 33

Stick: Pierce Brosnan, 66

Elektra: Alicia Vikander, 31

Colleen Wing: Lana Condor, 22

Misty Knight: Kiki Layne, 28

Micro: Jay Baruchel, 37

Sister Maggie: Patricia Clarkson, 60

Jack 'the Devil' Murdock (deceased, shown in flashbacks): Christopher Abbott, 34

Enemies.

Kingpin: Tom Hanks, 63

Vanessa Fisk: Monica Bellucci, 55

Bullseye: Ben Foster, 39
https://****************.com/wp-content/uploads/ben-foster-faces-to-watch-2010.jpg

Gorgon: Ken Wantanabe, 60

Purple Man: Andrew Scott, 43

Jigsaw: Oscar Isaac, 40

Typhoid Mary: Jodie Comer, 26

Aaron Davis: Donald Glover, 36
(use Aaron Davis/Prowler to replace Turk as connective tissue across Marvel Knights characters)

 

[CaptainWagner]

A lot depends on age. Would they do another "Just starting out" origin like Netflix, or want a more established, older Murdock/Nelson

George MacKay/John Bradley

Chris Messina/Sean Astin

I think either take is valid, and it really just depends on what exactly they plan on doing with the characters. If they want a new franchise, then probably younger. But if they'll play more of an ancillary role (introduce in She-Hulk, perhaps, and pop up in other properties) then older would work well.

 

[TheUnknownX]

I'm going to throw in:

Dacre Montgomery as Daniel Rand

 

[InCali]

To me, the question is who do we want for Silver Surfer, Namor, Clea and maybe a few others.

 

[eon001]

Love this thread. Been thinking about a Defender recast for some time.
Off the top of my head...

Lester Speight - As Luke Cage

The guy has an authentic tough guy quality, that also has some heart. Many acting credits, but I last saw him on Titans where he displayed strength and sensitivity with his interaction with Robin, that could translate to Danny Rand.

As a Martial arts nerd, I'd have to insist of on a Martial arts actor for Danny Rand. I have a keen eye for good and bad choreography and even a well trained actor can look stiff.

Christian Howard played Ken in the Street Fighter web series and has plenty of IMDB acting credits. He's also a life long Martial artist.

 

[eon001]

I'm going to throw in:

Dacre Montgomery as Daniel Rand

I could see him as Daredevil too.