‘Daredevil: Born Again’ to make history with one of its directors

Daredevil: Born Again has all of us excited. The first two seasons of Netflix’s Daredevil are among the most revered in the MCU canon, and they’ve been further elevated by the fact that the titular hero (Charlie Cox) has appeared in films like Spider-Man: No Way Home (2022). Daredevil: Born Again will represent a new chapter for the hero, and Disney Plus is making historic moves on the set to ensure that it delivers.

For one, Born Again will boast a whopping 18 episodes, which is double the length of the longest MCU series to date. Then there’s the fact that production on the show is slated to last 11 months, which is a record-breaking number for Marvel. By comparison, the production of She-Hulk lasted five months. Avengers: Infinity War (2018), which is one of the most ambitious MCU releases to date, was finished in six months. Needless to say, the showrunners and producers want to get the show right.

A crucial player in terms of getting things done right is Clark Johnson. According to Deadline, Johnson has been tapped to play a character named Cherry, who is expected to recur throughout the season. He’s also slated to direct two episodes of Born Again, which makes him the first person in the MCU’s small screen history to both direct and be cast in a non-cameo role.

Jon Favreau comes to mind as an example of someone pulling double-duty (he directed the first two Iron Man films), but his role as Happy Hogan was always positioned as a glorified cameo. Johnson differs in that he will be a main character within the Born Again narrative, in addition to his work behind the camera, putting him on a par with Taika Waititi helming Thor: Ragnarok and Love and Thunder while playing a major supporting role as Korg.

Anyone familiar with crime shows over the last three decades should recognize Johnson. He famously played David Jefferson on Night Heat (1985–1988) and Meldrick Lewis on Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999). He also appeared in the final season of The Wire, in addition to directing several episodes (the pilot and the finale being among them). Johnson’s other directorial work includes episodes of The West Wing, The Shield, and The Walking Dead.

Those wondering if Johnson’s gritty resume will translate to Daredevil: Born Again needn’t worry. He’s already dabbled in the MCU; directing the acclaimed Luke Cage episode “You Know My Steez” in 2016. The decision to bring back a director who previously had success on MCU’s small screen falls in line with the decision to bring back several of Daredevil’s most beloved foes.

It’s been confirmed that Vincent D’Onofrio will be returning as Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin and Jon Bernthal will be returning as Frank Castle aka Punisher. Both actors received the highest praise of their careers in seasons 1 and 2, as they turned in what many consider to be the definitive takes on their respective characters. Little has been revealed about the plot of Born Again, but D’Onofrio told Newsweek that fans should be expecting the unexpected. “It’s definitely an original way to look at this, and it’s really deep, really emotional,” he teased.

Wherever the story goes, we’re happy to know that someone of Johnson’s pedigree will be in front of and behind the camera.