In Marvel Studios' Disney+ original series Daredevil: Born Again, Vincent D'Onofrio will reprise his role as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin from the Netflix original series Marvel's Daredevil. The villain's wife, on the other hand, has been recast for the upcoming reboot.
Back in December, it was revealed that Sandrine Holt (Hostages, Better Call Saul) had joined the cast of Born Again as a romantic interest for one of the show's two lead characters. The Hollywood Reporter now reports that Holt will, in fact, be portraying Vanessa Fisk (née Marianna), the wife of D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk. Vanessa was previously portrayed by Ayelet Zurer in Seasons 1 and 3 of Netflix's Daredevil. This marks the first confirmed instance of Born Again recasting one of the Netflix show's roles. Holt's role being revealed coincides with the news that Born Again's pilot episode will be helmed by Michael Cuesta, of Dexter fame.
Coincidentally, Holt has a past with television productions based on Marvel comic books, having appeared in an episode of the syndicated series Mutant X in 2002. That said, she is perhaps better known for roles as Evelyn Martin on 24, Gillian Cole on House of Cards and Sandrine Renault on Hostages. She also recently portrayed Cheryl Hamlin in the sixth and final season of AMC's Breaking Bad spinoff series Better Call Saul.
Where Did Netflix's Daredevil Leave Vanessa Fisk?
Of course, Wilson's love for Vanessa was one of the character's defining motivations in Netflix's Daredevil. In fact, the show's third and final season concluded with the Kingpin and his arch-nemesis, Daredevil (Charlie Cox), striking a bargain for Vanessa's freedom. Kingpin agreed to go back to prison and keep Daredevil's true identity a secret, otherwise Daredevil would tell the authorities that Vanessa was the one who ordered the murder of FBI agent Rahul "Ray" Nadeem (Jay Ali).
The character of Vanessa Fisk was originally created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., first appearing 1968's Amazing Spider-Man #70. Prior to Zurer's first live-action turn as the character in 2015, Caroline Goodall voiced Vanessa in Spider-Man: The Animated Series in the 1990s. Lake Bell later voiced Vanessa in the 2018 animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. (Vanessa did not appear in the 2003 live-action Daredevil film starring Ben Affleck.)
Daredevil: Born Again Is Coming to Disney+
Netflix's Daredevil originally ran from 2015 to 2018, with the aforementioned Cox starring as lead protagonist Matt Murdock/Daredevil opposite D'Onofrio as main antagonist Wilson Fisk. Cox and D'Onofrio are attached to reprise their respective roles in Disney+'s Born Again, which is currently slated to premiere in 2024 as part of Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition to Holt, they will be joined in the reboot series by Michael Gandolfini, Margarita Levieva, Nikki M. James and Michael Gaston, newcomers all. Moreover, Jon Bernthal is expected to reprise his role as Frank Castle/the Punisher from Netflix's Daredevil Season 2 and the spinoff series Marvel's The Punisher.
However, while Cox, D'Onofrio and Bernthal are all back, two notable exclusions from Born Again's cast list are Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson, who played Karen Page and Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, respectively, in all three seasons of Netflix's Daredevil. It's currently unclear if the roles will be recast, though Vanessa being recast certainly sets a precedent. Notably, when news of Holt and Levieva's casting broke, it was revealed that they would each be playing love interests for either Matt Murdock or Wilson Fisk. Now that Holt has been confirmed to be playing Vanessa Fisk, it seems safe to assume that Levieva will be playing Matt's love interest. Whether Levieva will take over the role of Karen specifically remains to be seen, though it is a distinct possibility.
Marvel Studios' Daredevil: Born Again is scheduled to premiere in spring 2024 on Disney+.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter