Seth Rogen Read For Jon Favreau's Role In 2003 Daredevil Movie But Was Rejected Because He Was "Too Young" To Play A Lawyer
Seth Rogen and Edward Norton auditioned for the 2003 film Daredevil.
In a Yahoo Entertainment's retrospective story marking the movie's 20th anniversary, director Mark Steven Johnson shared that Rogen tried out for the part of Franklin 'Foggy' Nelson, but was rejected because he thought the Freaks & Geeks actor was "too young" to play a lawyer. The part went to future Iron Man actor/director Jon Favreau.
Johnson also revealed that Edward Norton was in talks to play Matt Murdock/Daredevil, which Ben Affleck landed the coveted part.
Asked if he met with Guy Pearce for the part, Johnson said: "It was definitely one of those roles where everyone was being mentioned.
"There were a lot of people in the mix. I don't remember if I met with Guy, but I did meet with Edward Norton.
"I also remember Seth Rogen coming in to read for Foggy Nelson.
"He was so funny, and we loved him, but I was also like, 'Dude, how old are you?' He was probably 21 or 22 at the time — way too young to be a lawyer!"
But Johnson admitted part of the appeal for Affleck's casting was because he was a fan of Kevin Smith, who penned some of the Daredevil comics.
He added: "I met with a couple of other actors, too, but Ben was a fan of Daredevil because of Kevin Smith, so it ended up being him. And then he became Batman!"
Elsewhere in the Yahoo story, Johnson also reflected on the movie's poor critical reception.
“Looking back on it, one of the mistakes I made with the film was wanting to put everything in!” said Johnson, who also directed another Marvel title, Ghost Rider, starring Nicolas Cage.
“I wanted to do Daredevil’s origin story, and I wanted to do the Elektra Saga and I wanted to introduce Bullseye and Foggy. I wanted everything to be in there, but the film could only support so much. And then when you’re told to cut a half-hour out and make it more of a love story, things start to feel rushed and not quite right. It’s a fan thing: when you love something so much, you want to tell it all.”
Daredevil wasn't that bad. It made enough money — US$180 million (S$241 mil) worldwide on a US$78 mil budget — to spawn a spin-off, Elektra, starring Jennifer Garner.
The story of the Man without Fear was later revived in 2015 as a Netflix series starring Charlie Cox as the titular vigilante. That series lasted three seasons. That version of Daredevil made his MCU debut in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home. Cox is currently shooting the upcoming Disney+ series, Daredevil: Born Again.
Daredevil, the 2003 movie, and the Charlie Cox-starring TV series are now streaming on Disney+. — BANG SHOWBIZ
Photos: TPG News/Click Photos
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