A ‘Daredevil’ leap for minor superhero

The making of “Daredevil” is the story of two movies. The first was conceived when “Spider-Man” was just another comic book. The second was made after the Tobey Maguire movie spun staggering box-office records.

Originally imagined six years ago as a $50-million action story with modest aspirations, “Daredevil” grew into a nearly $80-million would-be blockbuster. Much of the transformation can be linked to “Spider-Man,” which debuted just weeks before “Daredevil” started production and eventually grossed more than $796 million worldwide.

“ ‘Spider-Man’ did us a big favor,” says Gary Foster, the producer of “Daredevil,” which opens Friday. Thanks to Peter Parker’s popularity, “Daredevil’s” special effects budget was bolstered, renowned fight choreographer Cheung-Yan Yuen (“Matrix Reloaded,” “Charlie’s Angels”) was brought in, and several shots were added to critical stunt sequences.

The flashy additions should help. Unlike some of its Marvel comic book brethren, “Daredevil” doesn’t have huge name-brand appeal. If “Spider-Man” is the equivalent of John Grisham, “Daredevil” is more akin to John Irving. They both write books, but only the first author guarantees big opening-weekend business.

Still, it’s no surprise that “Daredevil” has been turned into a movie. In the franchise fever currently seizing Hollywood, comic books are now seen as preeminent source material. They have devoted fans who turn out opening weekend, offer myriad possibilities for spinoffs and sequels (there are more than 100 characters in “X-Men” alone) and they often bring fresh storylines into the cliched action genre.

This summer, moviegoers will see “The Hulk” and an “X-Men” sequel. In the works are a “Spider-Man” follow-up, “The Punisher,” “Fantastic Four,” “Ghost Rider,” “Iron Man,” “Namor,” “Werewolf by Night” and new “Superman” and “Batman” movies. Suddenly, it’s a very crowded arena.

Starring Ben Affleck, Colin Farrell and TV’s “Alias” star Jennifer Garner in her first (and presumably not last) leading film role, “Daredevil” tells the story of Matt Murdock. Blinded in a childhood accident, Murdock (Affleck) is nevertheless dubbed the “Man Without Fear.” Crusading lawyer by day, he turns into the violent vigilante Daredevil at night, guided by extrasensory perception that helps him “see.”

Over the course of the film, Daredevil battles Bullseye (Farrell), a sharpshooter who turns peanuts, pencils and paperclips into lethal weapons; Elektra (Garner), a knife-twirling knockout; the crime boss Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan); and the most hideous villain imaginable, a pesky newspaper reporter (Joe Pantoliano).

Among comic book aficionados, “Daredevil” is a legitimate blockbuster; actor-comic book collector Nicolas Cage just auctioned his copy of a first issue of “Daredevil” for $11,500. But outside the universe of geeks who can debate for hours the talents of comic legends Stan Lee and Frank Miller (both of whom have cameos in the film), “Daredevil” enjoys fleeting awareness.

While many moviegoers had never heard of “X-Men” before that film’s 2000 debut, the comic books of the same name are Marvel’s biggest sellers. “Daredevil” is well down in the pack. In the last two months, it was Marvel’s 13th bestselling title, trailing “Spider-Man,” “X-Men” and “Avengers,” the company says.

“When I first told people that I was making a movie called ‘Daredevil,’ ” Foster says, “they would respond by saying, ‘Oh, you’re making a movie about (motorcycle stunt rider) Evel Knievel?’ ” Adds “Daredevil” director Mark Steven Johnson: “I was going after this before the whole Marvel phenomenon started. Nobody knew who Daredevil was.”

‘A hero who is human’

They are still learning. Before “Daredevil” was eventually made by 20th Century Fox and producing partner New Regency, several studios passed. Sony’s Columbia Pictures, which made “Spider-Man,” walked away from the project when it was unable to secure “Daredevil’s” Internet movie rights -- and today we all know how valuable that isn’t.

Despite its success with “X-Men,” Fox was nervous about several aspects of “Daredevil’s” making. “It’s not as well known as ‘X-Men’ or ‘Spider-Man,’ but it is a great character,” says Tom Rothman, Fox’s chairman. “We weren’t making it because it has a built-in fan base. We went into it because it’s a great story -- this guy is deeply interesting. He’s a hero who is human. He is morally complex, he bleeds, he hurts, and he is a flawed person.”

“Spider-Man” proved audiences didn’t mind a conflicted hero; it also showed that an actor like Maguire, best known for art films, could become an action star. The casting couldn’t be more timely, at least in terms of free publicity. Affleck’s relationship with Jennifer Lopez has filled miles of tabloid newsprint. Farrell recently showed up at the premiere of his other new movie, “The Recruit,” with Britney Spears on his arm, nearly triggering a paparazzi riot.

The best timing, however, might revolve around the casting of Garner. The filmmakers closed their deal with Garner just hours before she won a Golden Globe last year for “Alias.” While the first “Daredevil” poster featured only Affleck, the new edition showcases the entire lead cast, with Garner nearly as prominent as the film’s title character in disguise.

It’s an outfit that Affleck almost didn’t get to wear. Fearful that audiences wouldn’t accept Affleck (or any other actor, for that matter) in a tight red leather suit with little horns, Fox originally asked the costume designers to steer away from the comic book aesthetic.

“Studios are like banks: they are risk-averse,” says Avi Arad, chief executive of Marvel Studios and a “Daredevil” producer. “They wanted the characters to look like somebody who could walk into a diner and no one would look up from their soup.”

But the resulting costume design looked like a hip-hop interpretation of the Unabomber’s FBI sketch: a man in a hooded sweatshirt and dark sunglasses. For the core audience, it rang false. “We were afraid of his looking ridiculous,” Johnson says. “I mean, it’s a guy in a devil suit. But at the same time, you have to honor the fans. You have to treat it seriously, with respect. If not, you’re dead in the water. You’ve made ‘Batman’ or ‘The Phantom.’ ”

‘Wow’ moments

For the core comic book crowd, authenticity helps open movies. What also boosts ticket sales are eye-popping special effects. Thanks to its $140-million budget, “Spider-Man” had plenty. How was “Daredevil” going to compete, with half that amount?

Already, “Daredevil” was shooting in Los Angeles to save money, even though almost the entire story is set in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen. Farrell was added to the cast at a deep discount, because he owed Regency and Fox a movie as part of his acting contract for an earlier movie, “Tigerland.” And the special effects budget was less than what most big studios spend just on screenplay rewrites.

As soon as “Spider-Man” opened, Foster says, Fox “was suddenly saying, ‘We need more “wow” moments. We need bigger effects.’ ”

The most significant improvements were made to a cinematic trick called Shadow World, which tries to represent Murdock and Daredevil’s point of view. The number of Shadow World shots was increased by about 50%, but the film’s effects budget still came in at only $6 million.

The filmmakers did not have enough money for an effects-heavy scene in which Daredevil runs across lanes of moving traffic. But they were able to add several impressive shots to a fight between Daredevil and Bullseye. Yuen choreographed two balletic fight sequences, one between Murdock and Elektra in a playground, the other between Daredevil and Bullseye in a church.

In adding all these bells and whistles, the challenge was not to lose Johnson’s original idea for “Daredevil”: a troubled protagonist who is far less invincible than his comic book peers.

“This was our chance to show something different, something you may not have seen before,” says Johnson, whose only other directing credit came on the $21-million sentimental drama “Simon Birch,” adapted from Irving’s “A Prayer for Owen Meany.” When you first meet the hero, Johnson says, he’s not kicking anyone around. “In fact, he’s bleeding to death.”

While other comic book movies offer huge, expensive set pieces to wrap up their movies, “Daredevil” presents something much smaller. “I really don’t know if this will work,” Johnson says, discounting early talk of a “Bullseye” prequel, a “Daredevil” sequel and an “Elektra” spin-off. “We don’t have the big third act of ‘Spider-Man’ or ‘X-Men.’ We have guys fighting in an office. Ours is very personal. It’s not about saving the world.”