Marvel's Daredevil Finds Its Elektra In Elodie Yung
Marvel have announced the casting of French-Cambodian actress Élodie Yung as Elektra in the upcoming second season of Daredevil on Netflix. Yung is well versed in the action genre, having played Jinx, a ninja, in 2013's hopeless G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Marvel's Jeph Loeb described Yung as 'the perfect actress to embody both Elektra’s impressive and deadly physicality, as well as her psychological complexity. Paired with Charlie as Matt Murdock, the two will bring one of the most beloved and tumultuous comic book relationships to life with all the accompanying sparks and spectacular action sequences the show is known for.'
There will likely be some curiosity over whether Yung's interpretation of the character will see some changes to her history. In the comics, Elektra is a Greek woman who trains in martial arts following the deaths of her parents. She shares a mentor with Matt Murdock in the shape of Stick, played by Scott Glenn in the series, despite her later choosing to ally herself with The Hand, a sect of ninja assassins who have been hinted at as a long-term threat. Given Yung's heritage, it is also possible her Elektra will be linked in some capacity to Nobu, a ninja-turned-businessman who, prior to his fiery death at Murdock's hands, was allied to both Wilson Fisk and a clan with a strong resemblance to The Hand. That's strictly speculation, but with Jon Bernthal also joining the series as Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, there will be no shortage of fan favourites in play when the series returns in 2016.
[via Marvel]
Jon Bernthal Joining Marvel's Daredevil as The Punisher
Jon Bernthal has been had quite the acting repertoire since being killed off in the second season of The Walking Dead, appearing in films like The Wolf of Wall Street, Fury, and one of my current favorite films of the year, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. However, Bernthal's next role could be his biggest to date.
Yesterday, Marvel announced that Bernthal has been cast as Frank Castle/The Punisher for the next season of Marvel's Daredevil. For those unaware, The Punisher is a brutal vigilante/anti-hero unlike any of the other mainstream Marvel superheroes who has no problem killing villains for the greater good. In saying that, Bernthal has the look and demeanor necessary to portray such a character. Marvel's Head of Television Jeph Loeb had the following to say about Bernthal's casting:
Jon Bernthal brings an unmatched intensity to every role he takes on, with a potent blend of power, motivation and vulnerability that will connect with audiences. Castle’s appearance will bring dramatic changes to the world of Matt Murdock and nothing will be the same.
This will be the fourth time The Punisher has been depicted in a live-action film or series, but the first time under the watchful eye of Marvel Studios. With rumors that Marvel Studios has plans to incorporate its TV series characters with the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, could it only be a matter of time before we see Bernthal and the rest of the Daredevil cast side-by-side with Robert Downey, Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, et. al.? It's an exciting time to be a Marvel fan.
Daredevil Season 2's Showrunner Writing Akira Remake Script
We all know the sad tale of the live-action Akira remake by now - it's gone through numerous rumors, delays, budgetary problems, and more since Warner Bros. acquired the rights back in 2002. The last we heard, Non-Stop director Jaume Collet-Serra was on board to direct the film and bring the project's budget down to the $60m - $70m range. Since then, production was cancelled (yet again), leaving the film in limbo once again.
Fast forward to this week when it was announced that Marvel's Daredevil's Season 2 showrunner, Marco J. Ramirez, has been hired by Warner Bros. to write a new script treatment for Akira. Ramirez served as a writer and producer for the first season of Marvel's Daredevil, and has also written for Sons of Anarchy, Da Vinci's Demons, and Orange is the New Black (for which he was nominated for three awards). There's no word on which volumes of Akira Ramirez will be adapting, or if Collet-Serra is still slated to direct.
At this point, it's hard to get excited for Akira remake news, given how many false starts fans have experienced over the past decade. Once again, the best course of action is to play the waiting game to see if Warner Bros. is confident enough in the script to finally move forward.
[via IGN]
Marvel's Daredevil Renewed for Second Season
Marvel's Daredevil has been an amazing success for both Marvel and Netflix. Reviews have been stellar since the entire first season was released on April 10th, further building to Marvel's ability to turn almost everything they touch to gold. With the precedent of quality set for the rest of the upcoming Netflix-exclusive series (Marvel's A.K.A. Jessica Jones is coming later this year while Marvel's Luke Cage is scheduled for 2016 and the other two series, Marvel's Iron Fist and Marvel's Defenders are slated for some indeterminate time in the future), it was only a matter of time before Marvel and Netflix announced a second season of Daredevil.
Sure enough, the second season of Marvel's Daredevil was officially greenlit yesterday. However, a few changes will be made for the hit series' continuation. Steven DeKnight, Season 1's showrunner that took over following Drew Goddard's exit during pre-production, won't be returning due to prior commitments. Instead, Doug Petrie (American Horror Story) and Marco Ramirez (Sons of Anarchy) will both serve as showrunner.
While we absolutely loved Marvel's Daredevil, there's still room for improvement. Hopefully, Petrie and Ramirez are able to recognize some of Season 1's shortcomings to ensure Season 2 will be just as good, if not better. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to re-watch the entire season... again.
[via /Film]