We now know the fate of Marvel's 'The Man Without Fear' as he will make his live action return, under Marvel/Disney ownership, as Netflix has just signed an exclusive deal with the streaming site yesterday based on the popularity of Marvel films on the site. Netflix's Chief Content Officer, Ted Sarandos said the following about the deal:
"Marvel's movies, such as Iron Man and Marvel's The Avengers are huge favourites on our service around the world. Like Disney, Marvel is a known and loved brand that travels. With House of Cards and our other original series, we have pioneered new approaches to storytelling and to global distribution and we're thrilled to be working with Disney and Marvel to take our brand of television to new levels with a creative project of this magnitude."
And he will not be alone, Marvel will premiere four brand new live-action series on Netflix. These will include Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage. (Guys, Iron Fist and Luke Cage! That is awesome!) Each of these shows composed 13 episodes each will share the same location of Hell's Kitchen, New York, and one would presume the Marvel Cinematic Universe too. Plans are that the story arcs for each of the characters will unfold over a number of years. The end goal of this move is to bring them all together in a mini-series which will be known as Marvel's The Defenders. Alan Fine, President of Marvel Entertainment, said the following:
"This deal is unparalleled in its scope and size, and reinforces our commitment to deliver Marvel's brand, content and characters across all platforms of storytelling. Netflix offers an incredible platform for the kind of rich storytelling that is Marvel's speciality. This serialised epic expands the narrative possibilities of on-demand television, and gives fans the flexibility to immerse themselves how and when they want in what's sure to be a thrilling and engaging adventure."
This will also put to bed the rumours of a planned reboots of the Daredevil film franchise that have become chronic over the years. As a huge comic fan, this is a great move. Some of the more obscure characters would be short-changed in a 90 min film setting and with a TV show things can be fleshed out and developed, so that if they are people will actually care and want to see them alongside Thor, Iron Man etc. Who would you like to see receive the small screen treatment? Let me know in the comments below. The Daredevil Netflix exclusive TV series is set to get the ball rolling in 2015.