Though Netflix’s first Marvel television series, Daredevil, recently lost showrunner Drew Goddard to Sony’s Sinister Six project, it’s still moving forward with Spartacus creator Steven S. DeKnight filling in for Goddard and Boardwalk Empire‘s Charlie Cox on board to play the titular vigilante. Now, we’ve learned that another key character in the series has been cast, with news that Vincent D’Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket) has signed on to play Wilson Fisk – aka The Kingpin, Daredevil’s arch-nemesis.
Looking at D’Onofrio, I’m immediately excited about this casting. Fisk is often portrayed as physically imposing and charismatic, and D’Onofrio’s versatility as an actor – IMDb even lists “The Human Chameleon” as one of his nicknames – should allow him to slide easily into the part. Watching his Fisk butt heads with Cox’s Matthew Murdock/Daredevil should be a real thrill.
D’Onofrio has also proven again and again that he is a highly talented performer. He’s best known for his ten-year stint as Detective Robert Goren on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, but the actor has also appeared in films as diverse as Men in Black, Ed Wood, Charlie Countryman and Brooklyn‘s Finest. The one constant throughout his appearances in film and television is how impressive he is in each role.
When Netflix’s 13-part Daredevil series, an origin story, kicks off in 2015, Fisk is not yet a supervillain. Instead, he’s described “a powerful businessman whose interests in the future of Hell’s Kitchen will bring him into conflict with Murdock.” Needless to say, he’ll be well on his way to villainy by the time Daredevil wraps up.
Netflix has a lot riding on the success of Daredevil. It’s just the first of five planned series which incorporate characters from the Marvel universe. After Daredevil, we’ll see Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage and a team-up miniseries called The Defenders, which brings all the characters from the previous series together to combat a greater enemy. Whether D’Onofrio’s Kingpin will be part of the threat faced by The Defenders remains to be seen, but it’s very exciting that such a talented actor is involved in this ambitious television event.
