A Note Regarding Recasting Rumors in Daredevil: Born Again

We’ve received some messages recently expressing concern, and even anger, that we as a campaign aren’t doing enough to save Foggy and Karen. 

A lot of this was spurred on by the Jon Bernthal return article in The Hollywood Reporter that noted there was no mention of either character on the roll call sheet the reporters saw, and that it was unclear if the characters had been recast or excised from the story. 

Now about those call sheets - in layman’s terms, they’re daily production schedules for cast and crew so everyone knows what’s happening on set that day. From our perspective, there is no way to forecast the plans of an entire production from a single day or even a week’s worth of call sheets, as information from set this month could look very different from next month, and in the months after that. Yet, this inconclusive speculation about missing names in March has unfortunately been amplified by lesser platforms into apparent fact that Deborah and Elden will no longer return. Heightened emotions in the fandom were also stirred up by the recent anxiety created around the recasting of Vanessa as indicative of something unscrupulous, without considering the possibility that Ayelet Zurer was simply unavailable. 

What we do know for sure is that production on Born Again is in full swing and casting decisions will be made in accordance with the story they want to tell, ones that fit into the larger framework of the MCU. And while we are hopeful for the best possible outcomes, especially given the extended production period of this show compared to other MCU TV shows, this may or may not include Deborah and Elden. For now, we don’t know. 

We understand, as much as anyone, the deep love people have for these characters and wanting to see that fabulous threesome back together. However, some of the ire directed at #SavedDaredevil would suggest that not enough effort has gone into championing the return of the supporting cast. Our track record shows otherwise, as evidenced by the Timeline on our website. Our love and respect for both actors and their respective characters run as deep as any in the fandom.

Fans who feel moved to continue to (respectfully) shout about Deborah and Elden from your personal accounts should absolutely do that. You have our support. But at this point in time we don’t believe there’s anything more that we can do or say to move the needle for the powers that be and we are ever conscious of the fine line that exists between championing something in a humble yet passionate manner and coming off as entitled and obnoxious. More prominent campaigns than ours have fallen afoul after achieving perceived success and we don’t want to join them, killing any goodwill we may have enjoyed in the process. 

All we can do now is wait and cross our fingers for Karen and Foggy, and yes, hype the hell out of Daredevil: Born Again, because the return of Charlie, Vincent, Jon, and eighteen episodes filmed on location in New York are worth celebrating. These should not be considered mutually exclusive activities. 

For a more in-depth exploration of the known knowns, the known unknowns, and unknown unknowns of DD:BA, keep your eyes peeled for our next #TalkDaredevil podcast where we tackle this very topic, and hopefully help put some things into a calmer perspective.