CASTING THE MAN WITH NO FEAR

Written by Matthew Pejkovic

With news released that 20th Century Fox have green lit a new Daredevil movie with David Slade (30 Days of Night) on board to direct, Matt’s Movie Reviews presents its picks for who should play the Man With No Fear.

RYAN KWANTEN

True Blood star Ryan Kwanten has recently wowed critics for his turn as a delusional wannabe superhero in Griff the Invisible, so a real comic book role should suit just fine. As Matt Murdock / Dardevil, he would bring youth and vitality to the role, as well as his ability to portray conflicting emotions which would suit this vigilante’s Catholic guilt just fine.

BRADLEY COOPER

Burgeoning actor Bradley Cooper has been on the cusp of superstardom for a while now, with his recent turn in Limitless proving his worth as a leading man. Although narrowly missing out on the coveted Green Lantern role (super hero whore Ryan Reynolds nabbed that one), Cooper has proved his action chops as Face in The A-Team remake. With his ability to do mix it up in differing genres, and his status rising by the day, Cooper would be a good catch to take on one of the more famous and conflicted comic book heroes in Daredevil.

SCOOT McNAIRY

He wowed us in Monsters and is set to make his mark in the Andrew Dominick directed crime thriller Coogan’s Trade, yet what character actor Scoot McNairy hasn’t done is take on the world of superheroes. Daredevil could change that, with McNairy just the right type of slightly known personality who could do the role justice and irk the curiosity of those unimpressed by the first Daredevil movie.

ARMIE HAMMER

Standing over 6 feet and with the size to back him up, Armie Hammer is an action hero waiting to happen, so why no one has tried to sign his name on to a superhero movie is a mystery (although it was rumoured that Zack Snyder had him on a short list for his Superman reboot). If David Slade were smart, he would look into Mr. Hammer’s availability straight away.

GUY PEARCE

Rumour has it that Guy Pearce was in contention for the first Daredevil movie, and it would have been a role suited to his look and talent. Now that an opportunity has come again for Pearce to play the Man With No Fear, will he take it? It is well known that Pearce is not big on appearing in large scale films, opting for supporting roles in dramas such as Animal Kingdom and The King’s Speech. It’s a shame, because he could play one hell of a Matt Murdock.

AARON ECKHART

If Battle: Los Angeles has proven anything, it is that Aaron Eckhart is a bona-fide action hero. Sure, he has already gone down the comic book movie route with his acclaimed performance as Two Face in The Dark Knight, but Eckhart deserves to be a superstar, and Daredevil is just the film franchise for him. Plus, that chin was made for a superhero role.

BEN AFFLECK

Say what you want about the first Daredevil movie, but there is no faulting Ben Affleck’s performance as Matt Murdoch /Daredevil. The man is simply a talented actor, even though he has appeared in some lousy movies. Hopefully his recent resurgence as a credible leading man will see a return as DD. Then again, maybe Affleck wants to move on to something else.