Back in August there was much fanfare around these parts when it was announced the film rights to all things Daredevil would soon expire under the current deal with Fox and return home to Marvel Studios. This was met with equal parts enthusiasm and trepidation by fans. On one hand, Marvel Studios has a far better track record with their films than Fox, especially coming off the heels of the blockbuster mega-hit 'The Avengers'. On the other hand, Marvel has a full slate of productions in development and the property may remain dormant for years to come. On top of that, Marvel's slate of properties seems to steer away from gritty, street level heroes like Daredevil.
There is just cause for reservation. With 'Thor 2', 'Iron Man 3', 'Captain America 2', and 'Guardians of the Galaxy' all either currently filming or in pre-production, it looks grim that Matt Murdock will grace the silver screen anytime soon. Personally, I feel a bit more optimistic. While it seems like the current productions by Marvel are too numerous and too fantastic to include Daredevil, that's a condition that wasn't brought about by design. Many of Marvel's properties are still owned by various studios, most notably Spider-Man with Sony Pictures and Fox still controlling both X-Men and the Fantastic Four.
The lack of those properties led Marvel to intensely focus on what they did control, namely the Avengers universe. This also led them away from crafting features based on their more terrestrial heroes, the two biggest of which (Daredevil and Spider-Man) were still owned by other studios. Well, one of the boys have returned home. While he pales in comparison to Spider-Man, both financially and narratively, Daredevil is still a linchpin; he connects the more grounded aspects of the Marvel Universe to the more fantastic. Why is that important?
For starters, that allows Daredevil to be a common thread. His popular stories have involved everyone from Captain America to Iron Man, and everyone in between. He's an off and on lover of Black Widow; a close contact of Nick Fury. Daredevil is also a bitter rival/reluctant ally to the Punisher and buddies with Iron Fist and Luke Cage. Marvel Studios now controls all of these properties. Daredevil has become one of the most ubiquitous heroes in the Marvel pantheon. The number of interweaving, epic storylines they can concoct just exploded. Imagine a solo Daredevil movie that sows the seeds for a feature where he and Punisher team-up to take down Kingpin; Imagine Black Widow and Luke Cage joining them in a 'Marvel Knights' movie; Imagine him finally becoming an Avenger. The possibilities are endless, and the guys at Marvel are too smart to let all that opportunity (and money) go to waste. Daredevil is now the most important character in their stable.
As for making the movie itself, that's relatively easy. With Marvel's previous films there was a fair amount of scheduling to be done so that stories and actors could all be in place to cross-pollinate for 'The Avengers'. Daredevil, at least to start, can stand on his own due to the fact he has already had a film. It's a similar situation that Marvel had with 'The Incredible Hulk, which was a "soft reboot". Rather than rehashing Hulk's origin, Marvel just let the character hit the ground running, and there was far less of a SHIELD presence needed than in the other films. The same can be done with Daredevil. Money wise, Daredevil is also a cheaper film to produce. He's not a character that demands expensive set pieces or flashy villains. Marvel has been sticking to a $150 million price tag for it's solo features. A good Daredevil film can be made for half of that. In business terms they call that "low risk - high reward".
So, with all that said, when will we see Ol' Horn Head back on the screen? That's the hard question. But if Marvel is smart, which it would appear they are, the tentative answer should be "soon". The success of 'The Avengers' shows that this studio is willing to gamble big. Folding Matt Murdock into the Marvel Cinematic Universe should be the logical next step for Marvel. Hopefully, the character will get the treatment he deserves, and he'll help usher in a new era of films as intricate and intertwined as the comics we love.