section_path: Production/Development/Creative overhaul
section_name: Creative overhaul
paragraph_text: Creative overhaul
  
  By late September 2023, while production was on hold due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, Marvel Studios decided to overhaul the series with a new creative direction. Filming for six episodes was largely completed by then. Marvel Studios had reviewed that footage and decided Born Again "wasn't working". Corman and Ord were let go as head writers, as were the directors for the remainder of the series, and the studio began searching for new writers and directors. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Corman and Ord's episodic take was a large divergence from the Netflix series, including that Cox did not appear in costume as Daredevil until the fourth episode. Marvel planned to retain some elements that had been shot, add new serialized elements, and move closer to the tone of the Netflix series. Corman and Ord were expected to still be credited as executive producers. Cox and D'Onofrio had not been convinced that the original approach was working, with Cox saying it was confusing how Born Again was not a direct continuation of the Netflix series or a complete reboot; the studio wanted to keep Cox and D'Onofrio in their roles with others recast as a way to "reset" and not alienate new audiences who not had seen the original series, which Cox likened to variants, a concept established in the Marvel Studios series Loki (2021–2023). He called it a "valid choice" but noted how it became "disingenuous" whenever the character contradicted anything that happened in the Netflix series. Brad Winderbaum, the head of streaming, television, and animation at Marvel Studios, said the studio believed they could "play it loose" with the history of Daredevil but when they reviewed what had been shot so far they realized that they would have to either fully embrace the Netflix series or start over fresh. D'Onofrio said it was Feige in particular who listened to him and Cox when the pair expressed their concerns about the project.
  
  Dario Scardapane, a writer on Netflix's Daredevil spin-off series The Punisher (2017–2019), was hired to serve as showrunner for Born Again in October 2023. This came after Marvel changed its approach to television production to have more traditional showrunners rather than head writers. Filmmaking duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, who previously worked on the Marvel Studios series Moon Knight (2022) and the second season of Loki (2023), were hired to direct the remaining episodes of the first season. Soon after Scardapane joined, the creative team decided that Born Again should harken back to the tone of the Netflix series and continue storylines from it, rather than be a complete reset. Cox said there was a "fine balance to strike" with this approach, but thought the new creative direction had a good reason for "remaking it" while still being familiar to what came before. In November 2023, Benson and Moorhead said they were reviewing the existing footage and looking to prior Daredevil content, including the Netflix series, to inform the foundation of their direction. They said they were fans of Miller's "Born Again" run, and Benson said he was a fan of Daredevil as a child despite not being "a huge comic book guy". The duo said this was their first MCU project where they were able to find their footing early on after being "thrown in the deep end" with Moon Knight and Loki. They were also more comfortable working with the more grounded style of Born Again, which is similar to their independent films, compared to the "mind-bending sci-fi affairs" of those previous MCU projects. Moorhead described Born Again ' s stakes as "primal and graspable". D'Onofrio said the directors were Marvel's "hottest talent", and he was confident the series would work after they joined. His friend and Moon Knight co-star Ethan Hawke told D'Onofrio about his positive experience working with the pair, and D'Onofrio was also a fan of their work on Loki, particularly how they handled violence.
  
  Three new episodes were written, including a new pilot episode, as well as additional scenes for the previously shot episodes. Cox confirmed in May 2024 that nine episodes had been filmed, which Feige said was the first season of Born Again. Cuesta, Nachmanoff, and Boyd were re-confirmed to be credited directors for the series in August 2024. Some of their episodes had "some rejiggering, and framing, and bookends" added while others were left "100% intact". Nachmanoff and Boyd returned to film new footage for the existing episodes and assisted with blending the style of the original episodes with Benson and Moorhead's new material.: 4:44–4:54, 14:50–15:03 Cox said the new version of the series was more in line with the Netflix series, while D'Onofrio said he and others who worked on the previous version were pleased with the new iteration.
  
  Also in August 2024, Feige announced that a second season was planned; with the creative overhaul, it was decided that the planned 18-episode season would be split into two, nine-episode seasons. In February 2025, Scardapane, Benson, and Moorhead were confirmed to be returning for the second season, and Scardapane described its production as a "better-oiled machine". He said the second season would just be eight episodes. Executive producers include Marvel Studios' Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Winderbaum, and Sana Amanat, alongside Scardapane, Benson, and Moorhead. Additional executive producers for the first season include Marvel Studios' Gary as well as Corman and Ord. Scardapane, Corman, and Ord are credited as the series' creators. The series is released under Marvel Studios' " Marvel Television " label.
  
  Winderbaum said the series could continue beyond the second season, and Marvel Studios was open to bringing back more characters and elements from Daredevil and the other Marvel Netflix series such as Elektra Natchios, the Hand, and the remaining members of the Defenders team that Murdock was a part of; Jessica Jones, a member of the Defenders, was confirmed to be appearing in the second season in May 2025. Also that month, Winderbaum said the strong audience response to the series gave Marvel Studios the confidence to make the series "annually into the future".
  
  By late September 2023, while production was on hold due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, Marvel Studios decided to overhaul the series with a new creative direction. Filming for six episodes was largely completed by then. Marvel Studios had reviewed that footage and decided Born Again "wasn't working". Corman and Ord were let go as head writers, as were the directors for the remainder of the series, and the studio began searching for new writers and directors. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Corman and Ord's episodic take was a large divergence from the Netflix series, including that Cox did not appear in costume as Daredevil until the fourth episode. Marvel planned to retain some elements that had been shot, add new serialized elements, and move closer to the tone of the Netflix series. Corman and Ord were expected to still be credited as executive producers. Cox and D'Onofrio had not been convinced that the original approach was working, with Cox saying it was confusing how Born Again was not a direct continuation of the Netflix series or a complete reboot; the studio wanted to keep Cox and D'Onofrio in their roles with others recast as a way to "reset" and not alienate new audiences who not had seen the original series, which Cox likened to variants, a concept established in the Marvel Studios series Loki (2021–2023). He called it a "valid choice" but noted how it became "disingenuous" whenever the character contradicted anything that happened in the Netflix series. Brad Winderbaum, the head of streaming, television, and animation at Marvel Studios, said the studio believed they could "play it loose" with the history of Daredevil but when they reviewed what had been shot so far they realized that they would have to either fully embrace the Netflix series or start over fresh. D'Onofrio said it was Feige in particular who listened to him and Cox when the pair expressed their concerns about the project.
  
  Dario Scardapane, a writer on Netflix's Daredevil spin-off series The Punisher (2017–2019), was hired to serve as showrunner for Born Again in October 2023. This came after Marvel changed its approach to television production to have more traditional showrunners rather than head writers. Filmmaking duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, who previously worked on the Marvel Studios series Moon Knight (2022) and the second season of Loki (2023), were hired to direct the remaining episodes of the first season. Soon after Scardapane joined, the creative team decided that Born Again should harken back to the tone of the Netflix series and continue storylines from it, rather than be a complete reset. Cox said there was a "fine balance to strike" with this approach, but thought the new creative direction had a good reason for "remaking it" while still being familiar to what came before. In November 2023, Benson and Moorhead said they were reviewing the existing footage and looking to prior Daredevil content, including the Netflix series, to inform the foundation of their direction. They said they were fans of Miller's "Born Again" run, and Benson said he was a fan of Daredevil as a child despite not being "a huge comic book guy". The duo said this was their first MCU project where they were able to find their footing early on after being "thrown in the deep end" with Moon Knight and Loki. They were also more comfortable working with the more grounded style of Born Again, which is similar to their independent films, compared to the "mind-bending sci-fi affairs" of those previous MCU projects. Moorhead described Born Again ' s stakes as "primal and graspable". D'Onofrio said the directors were Marvel's "hottest talent", and he was confident the series would work after they joined. His friend and Moon Knight co-star Ethan Hawke told D'Onofrio about his positive experience working with the pair, and D'Onofrio was also a fan of their work on Loki, particularly how they handled violence.
  
  Three new episodes were written, including a new pilot episode, as well as additional scenes for the previously shot episodes. Cox confirmed in May 2024 that nine episodes had been filmed, which Feige said was the first season of Born Again. Cuesta, Nachmanoff, and Boyd were re-confirmed to be credited directors for the series in August 2024. Some of their episodes had "some rejiggering, and framing, and bookends" added while others were left "100% intact". Nachmanoff and Boyd returned to film new footage for the existing episodes and assisted with blending the style of the original episodes with Benson and Moorhead's new material.: 4:44–4:54, 14:50–15:03 Cox said the new version of the series was more in line with the Netflix series, while D'Onofrio said he and others who worked on the previous version were pleased with the new iteration.
  
  Also in August 2024, Feige announced that a second season was planned; with the creative overhaul, it was decided that the planned 18-episode season would be split into two, nine-episode seasons. In February 2025, Scardapane, Benson, and Moorhead were confirmed to be returning for the second season, and Scardapane described its production as a "better-oiled machine". He said the second season would just be eight episodes. Executive producers include Marvel Studios' Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Winderbaum, and Sana Amanat, alongside Scardapane, Benson, and Moorhead. Additional executive producers for the first season include Marvel Studios' Gary as well as Corman and Ord. Scardapane, Corman, and Ord are credited as the series' creators. The series is released under Marvel Studios' " Marvel Television " label.
  
  Winderbaum said the series could continue beyond the second season, and Marvel Studios was open to bringing back more characters and elements from Daredevil and the other Marvel Netflix series such as Elektra Natchios, the Hand, and the remaining members of the Defenders team that Murdock was a part of; Jessica Jones, a member of the Defenders, was confirmed to be appearing in the second season in May 2025. Also that month, Winderbaum said the strong audience response to the series gave Marvel Studios the confidence to make the series "annually into the future".