It pains me to do this, it really does, but there’s a wishful thinking side of me that hopes this is true . . .
Over at ComicBookMovie.com, a reader sent them a “scoop” that could possibly elude to the rights of the Daredevil character reverting back to Marvel studios:
I was looking for something on Wikipedia and I wanted to check something on Daredevil and this is what caught my eye…
“In February 2010, reboot news was further reported by Deadline Hollywood who announced 20th Century Fox and New Regency are looking to develop the reboot with News Corp. Vice President Peter Chernin producing and David Scarpa writing the script. Intentions are said to move forward so that the film rights to the character would not revert back to Marvel. 20th Century Fox has lost intrest in the film and the rights have reverted back to Marvel Studios.”
Fox has done next to nothing with the property and it has been eight years since the film was released. Usually written into these contracts is that the studios must utilized these properties to keep the rights (i.e. make a film every [blank] years), and it has been quite a while since we have even heard any rumors about a new DD film. Keep in mind though, this is something that was stumbled upon in Wikipedia, and when I checked it out for myself it said exactly as it does above, but there is no citation as to where this information may have come from.
I would love for the DD rights to revert back to Marvel. This would be the best chance of this character getting into some very capable hands and getting a potentially awesome movie franchise off the ground. Not to mention, theoretically if the rights to Daredevil are back at Marvel, he could exist in the same movie-world as Iron Man, Thor, Cap, etc. now! Even just the thought of a Daredevil cameo in an Avengers movie or tie-in character film gets me excited.
That all being said, and being that this “story’s” source is Wikipedia, we did a little digging (and math!) with the help of our favorite movie critic, Jeff Vice (Jerk-bot). Jeff is pretty certain that the deal FOX signed for Daredevil was a 7 year deal, meaning, if the movie was released in 2003 the rights would have indeed reverted back to Marvel by now . . . BUT! (there’s always a ‘but’) The Elektra movie, which was released in ’05 and included a Matt Murdock cameo, is tied in with the Daredevil rights – meaning that the contract is up at the end of 2012.
So, it begs the question. To get a Daredevil film out before the end of next year, FOX would need to start moving pretty quickly on one, and there hasn’t been much said about this franchise in the last few years, so are they going to allow the contract to lapse? In the meantime, the way we figure it here at BSR!, it appears the rights do still belong to FOX, but may be expiring next year, and that’s when the rights would revert back to Marvel.
Barring any unreleased news that FOX has relenquished the rights ahead of schedule, it appears the rights remain at 20th Century Fox for the time being.