ComicBook Call Sheet: Casting Marvel's Daredevil: Born Again
Given principal photography on Daredevil: Born Again has been underway for the better parts of three months, there's already been a healthy chunk of information revealed about the production. When the project was first announced at San Diego Comic-Con, it was revealed both Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio would be returning to the property to play the roles they originated on the Netflix show in Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Wilson Fisk's Kingpin.
Since then, even more casting details have surfaced through trade reports. First came news Sandrine Holt would be appearing as Vanessa Fisk, replacing Ayelet Zurer's iteration of the character from the Netflix show. Then came news Jon Bernthal was going to reprise his role as Frank Castle, the R-rated vigilante that starred in two seasons of The Punisher in addition to a supporting role in Daredevil Season Two. Still, there's even more that we don't know and that's what we explore here.
Welcome to ComicBook Call Sheet, a new feature where we put our heads together and choose which characters what actors will be playing in upcoming comic book adaptations. First up is Daredevil: Born Again, one of the most anticipated shows on the docket from Marvel Studios.
Michael Gandolfini as Byron "Butch" Pharris
At this point in time, a character named Butch Pharris is donning the title of Kingpin within the Marvel Comics canon. If you think he's far removed from Wilson Fisk, the originator of the iconic villain mantle, you'd be mistaken. Though they don't feature the same surname, Pharris is the son of the legendary Daredevil villain. In fact, since the Marvel stable is a rather small world, Pharris' mom Stella was a neighbor of Battlin' Jack and Matt Murdock and he's a character most certainly ready for live-action.
Michael Gandolfini burst onto the scene with The Many Saints of Newark, playing a younger version of Tony Soprano—the same mobster played by his late father James in HBO's The Sopranos. Admittedly, Gandolfini's casting as Butch Pharris could be a bit of a typecast, the character has had a major involvement in a post-Mayor Fisk era in the comic source material, a storyline that many believe Daredevil: Born Again could be adapting.
Even then, there's parts of Pharris' character that could resonate especially well with Gandolfini. Butch is a character looking to step out of his father's shadow and make a name for himself, only to be the one to step into his father's shoes at the end of the line.
Nikki M. James as Kirsten McDuffie
Jenna Anderson: As the first three seasons of Netflix's Daredevil made clear to TV audiences, Matt Murdock is only as good as the supporting cast that surrounds him. Created by Mark Waid and Paolo Rivera in 2011's Daredevil run, Kirsten McDuffie is still a relatively-new addition to Matt's world, but she's undeniably a unique component of it. Originally the assistant district attorney, Kirsten becomes Matt's coworker, friend, and later love interest. Essentially from the jump, Kirsten has a hunch that Matt is Daredevil, and simultaneously pesters him about it and wholeheartedly embraces it.
With Matt's live-action TV story now having stretched on for nearly a decade, having Kirsten enter the fold in Born Again could bring some fresh elements to his life as a lawyer and a superhero. Nikki M. James, who won a Tony Award for her work on The Book of Mormon and has since gone on to be a staple of legal dramas like Proven Innocent and The Good Wife, could perfectly bring to life Kirsten's blend of wit and heart.
Margarita Levieva as Typhoid Mary
The second news of Levieva's casting broke, Typhoid Mary is a character that instantly jumped to mind. Levieva's latest main role comes in the form of Netflix's In From the Cold, a spy thriller that pushes her character to the brink. Before that, however, she appeared in comedies like How to Make It in America and We Bare Bears. Furthermore, she's been announced as a part of the cast to Lucasfilm's upcoming The Acolyte Star Wars spinoff.
Knowing Typhoid Mary and her battle with dissociative identity disorder, Levieva certainly has the range to play such a character. Not only that, but Mary has most recently found herself aligned with Wilson Fisk, marrying the Kingpin of Crime during the events of Daredevil #36 (2021). Given that Levieva and Sandrine Holt were both announced at the same and taking into account that the latter is said to be playing Vanessa, another one of Fisk's wives, it's possible they could both appear should the series feature a flashback plot intertwined with its present-day stories.
Michael Gaston as Leland Owlsley
Michael Gaston is one of the show's newest additions, having joined the cast right around the time production first kicked off. A character actor through much of his career, Gaston's latest long-term stints came in Paramount+'s Strange Angel and Prime Video's The Man in the High Castle. Coincidentally enough, Gaston also appeared in the pilot episode of The Sopranos opposite the late James Gandolfini, father of Born Again co-star Michael.
While he could be playing an original character with ties to law enforcement or the mob, one character that instantly comes to mind is longtime Daredevil villain Leland Owlsley. Perhaps better known as The Owl, the villain is often depicted as a skilled mobster and money laundering, often appearing alongside the likes of Kingpin and The Maggia.
The character technically did appear in the Netflix series, played by Bob Gunton, though that specific role has heavily reimagined from the comic book version.
Harris Yulin as Stick
Charlie Ridgely: Stick is such a vital character in Daredevil lore, it would make sense for Marvel Studios to put its own stamp on Matt Murdock's legendary teacher. Harris Yulin fits the bill, especially considering Marvel has already made it clear that recasting supporting characters isn't off the table.
Yulin has been spotted working alongside Charlie Cox in some set photos, sitting on a park bench and wielding a cane. He's got Stick written all over him, even if the Netflix Daredevil series killed the character off.
Marvel could simply ignore Stick's death from the first show, recasting him and making him part of Matt's adult life, likely following part of the Devil's Reign storyline. Or, who knows, maybe Matt just sees visions of his dead mentors now! Let Charlie Cox talk to ghosts, you cowards.
Arty Froushan as James Wesley
It appears Vanessa will no longer be played by Ayelet Zurer but instead, recast for Daredevil: Born Again as Sandrine Holt slides into the role. We suspect that's not the only time here and are thinking MCU newcomer Arty Froushan could be playing James Wesley, one of Kingpin's closest confidants.
The character appeared in nine episodes of the Netflix series, as portrayed by Toby Leonard Moore, before he was killed off by Karen Page. Only Wesley has a pretty sizable position as Kingpin's primary attorney and assistant during the Daredevil: Born Again comic series. Furthermore, set photos have even revealed a snazzy Arty Froushan dressed in his Sunday's finest, right alongside D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk. Trade reports say Froushan has joined the series as a major character named Harry, but we think that may just be a placeholder.
Vondie Curtis-Hall as Ben Urich
We know Cox, D'Onofrio, and Bernthal are all coming back to reprise their roles in the Netflix series while it's been reported the likes of Zurer, Deborah Ann Woll, and Elden Henson are either not appearing in Born Again or have been recast. When considering the rest of the cast and considering the source material the show is based on, there's one actor most would say should be a lock to return.
Of course, we're talking about Vondie Curtis-Hall's Ben Urich, the tenacious New York Bulletin reporter that fought to the death to uncover Kingpin's criminal dealings. Admittedly, most wouldn't think of Urich's return given he was choked to death by Kingpin himself, but since it's all but guaranteed Born Again will be a reboot of the show, Curtis-Hall could definitely reappear. Urich is, after all, an integral part of the Born Again comic series.
