Kingpin Actor Vincent D'Onofrio Speaks Out on Major Daredevil Creative Changes

Vincent D'Onofrio, who plays the Kingpin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has responded to the report that the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again series on Disney+ is undergoing a creative reboot. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel Studios has made the decision to fire the writers and directors of its Daredevil reboot, deciding to take a different creative approach to the much-anticipated series. Of course, this has brought out various responses from the loyal Marvel Cinematic Universe fanbase, with one fan deciding to bring up an old post by D'Onofrio in April sharing his excitement. After the fan stated that D'Onofrio's post aged poorly, the Kingpin actor gave an eloquent response.

"Unless you really know what's going there's a chance you could be wrong about this statement," Vincent D'Onofrio wrote on X/Twitter. "We are going to bring forward the best series we can. One we can be proud of. Have some trust my [friend], trust."

Every cool project I've been involved with has evolved constantly during pre- production, production and post.
It's just reported on these days as if it's big news.
It's not.
It's simple a bunch of creatives doing their best to get it right.
It's a constant in this business.
I…

— Vincent D'Onofrio (@vincentdonofrio) October 11, 2023

Former Daredevil showrunner calls Disney+ Reboot a "sham"

Steven DeKnight, the former showrunner of Daredevil on Netflix, shared his opinion on the Daredevil: Born Again series being a "Disney scam." In the IATSE ranks and elsewhere, workers have a mandated pay raise and vacation pay when a show makes it to Season 3. Social media users have discovered that at Disney and other studios, shows often get canceled or rebooted before a third season can officially happen. Critics argue that this is a tactic used by companies to get away with not paying workers an increased rate and other benefits. DeKnight seemingly agreed with this belief in his own social media post, arguing that current negotiations should get rid of those provisions entirely. 

"He does. It's an old Disney scam where they slightly rename a series to reset contract terms back to first season. Needs to be addressed by all the guilds/unions and crushed!" DeKnight wrote on X/Twitter.

Marvel TV overhauls its creative approach

Marvel Studios is reportedly leaning more heavily on TV showrunners for its upcoming streaming projects, which is a different approach from relying on movie executives. That caused problems as fans and critics wanted more interconnectivity and time with the characters. The limited series model seems to be on-hold for the moment as everything gets retooled.

Changes are coming to Marvel television projects. Along with the news that Daredevil: Born Again is getting new writers and directors, comes the report that Marvel Studios will add showrunners for its streaming shows, instead of relying on movie executives. 

When asked about showrunners, Marvel's head of streaming Brad Winderbaum said, "It's a term we've not only grown comfortable with but also learned to embrace… We need executives that are dedicated to this medium, that are going to focus on streaming, focus on television, because they are two different forms." 

"We're trying to marry the Marvel culture with the traditional television culture," Winderbaum added. "It comes down to, 'How can we tell stories in television that honor what's so great about the source material?'"