Daredevil: Born Again set photos reveals casting swap: Ayelet Zurer returns to play Vanessa
Marvel Studios continues to make Daredevil: Born Again more in line with the Netflix Marvel shows. The latest set photos have revealed that Ayelet Zurer is returning to play the Kingpin, aka Wilson Fisk's love interest, Vaness Fisk, in the upcoming series. The actress was spotted alongside Wilson Fisk actor Vincent D'Onofrio on set.
Ayelet Zurer's return means Daredevil: Born Again won't feature Sandrine Holt as Vanessa. The actress was originally set to portray Vaness Fisk in the series, replacing Zurer. However, it looks like the plans were later changed following the show's retooling as the Netflix Marvel shows were finally made canon with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Ayelet Zurer returns as Vaness following Daredevil: Born Again's creative overhaul
Prior to Daredevil: Born Again receiving a creative overhaul, The Hollywood Reporter first revealed the news that the upcoming series will feature Sandrine Holt as Vanessa Fisk, who would replace Ayelet Zurer from the original Daredevil series. This put doubt among many that Born Again was set to be a soft reboot of the original Netflix series.
However, in September, following the end of the writers' strike - Marvel Studios let go of writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman. They also revealed that Daredevil: Born Again was set to receive a creative overhaul. This decision caused the show to be delayed indefinitely.
Later on, The Punisher writer Dario Scarpadane was hired as the new showrunner, and Loki season 2 directors Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson were brought on to direct new episodes. The show resumed its shoot in January of 2024, and by that point, Marvel Studios had added the previous Netflix Marvel shows into the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline. The addition confirmed that those stories were canon with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Ayelet Zurer's return as Vanessa also comes as part of that retooling as Marvel Studios continues to make efforts to make sure that Daredevil: Born Again is in line with the original series.
The show's creative overhaul also saw the return of previous characters
The creative overhaul also saw the return of fan-favorite actors Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll to portray Foggy Nelson and Karen Page in the series. They were originally not slated to appear in the show. The overhaul also saw Wilson Bethel return as Bullseye, who was spotted on set as well.
Recently, over the week, Punisher actor Jon Bernthal confirmed on his social media that he will be returning as the superhero in the upcoming series. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Vincent D'Onofrio spoke about the creative overhaul and the Marvel Netflix shows being made canon.
"During our restart of all the creative on Daredevil: Born Again, all the creatives got together and said, 'Look, this is how we've got to do it now.'"
He continued,
"So we are for sure only speaking about it in terms of being directly connected to the original Daredevil, and that's a great thing. It brings in a lot of cool stories and all the collateral story that happened in those original three seasons."
Daredevil: Born Again has yet to have a set release date. However, it is set to premiere and stream exclusively on Disney+.