I Genuinely Can’t Believe Seth Rogen Was Almost Cast As A Major Daredevil Character In The Original Marvel Movie

An iconic comedy actor was almost cast as a major character in 2003’s Daredevil, and it definitely would’ve been an interesting take. Most modern Marvel fans are familiar with Daredevil thanks to Charlie Cox’s portrayal of the hero in Netflix’s Daredevil series. His take on Matt Murdock was so well-received that it prompted the studio to bring Daredevil into the main MCU, resulting in Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+. However, Cox is not the first to portray Daredevil in a live-action project.

The biggest name to portray a live-action Daredevil is undoubtedly Ben Affleck. He played the lawyer-turned-vigilante in the 2003 film after being a fan of the comics since childhood. Although the movie received mostly poor reviews, Affleck’s performance was praised overall. Some other notable names that starred in this film are Colin Farrell as Bullseye, Jennifer Garner as Elektra, and Jon Favreau as Foggy Nelson. It was actually quite a star-studded affair, and there were even more big names being thrown around for roles behind the scenes.

Seth Rogen Was Almost Cast As Foggy Nelson In 2003’s Daredevil

In 2023, director Mark Steven Johnson did an interview with Yahoo Entertainment in honor of 20 years since the film’s release. There were a lot of actors’ names in the mix for the titular role, including Guy Pearce and Matt Damon, though the two have said that they passed on the role. Johnson also remembered meeting with Edward Norton for the role, which is ironic considering he’d go on to star in The Incredible Hulk for Marvel. For the role of Matt’s best friend Foggy, a surprising choice was in the running.

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Seth Rogen was still an up-and-coming actor in 2003, gaining traction through his role in the series Freaks & Geeks and the movie Donnie Darko. In the Yahoo interview, Johnson said that Rogen came in to read for the role of Foggy. Although the team loved his performance, he was passed over because of his age. Only being in his early 20s at the time of the auditions, Johnson believed that Rogen was too young to play a believable lawyer. The role was ultimately given to Favreau, who would also go on to become a Marvel icon in his own right.

Why It Makes Sense Seth Rogen Didn’t Get Cast As Foggy In The Original Daredevil Movie

Rogen has come a long way in his Hollywood career and everyone is well aware of his acting talent, primarily in comedies but also in some dramatic roles. Considering that Johnson mentions that they loved his humor in the audition, he probably would’ve brought levity to Foggy that would’ve played well off of Affleck’s Matt. However, it was ultimately the right decision not to give him the role. Johnson was right about his age concern, especially since he’d be opposite a considerably older Affleck.

Favreau is most known among MCU fans for directing Iron Man, as well as his recurring role as Happy Hogan. It’s easy to forget that he’s played another Marvel character before, but his performance as Foggy was actually quite a good one. Remembering his past portrayal of Foggy even adds an extra layer to the interaction between Happy and Matt in Spider-Man: No Way Home. It’s a shame that Marvel didn’t get to utilize Rogen’s growing talent in Daredevil, but most fans are probably glad that he ended up having the career he does.

Daredevil

8/10

Release Date

February 14, 2003

Runtime

103 minutes

Director

Mark Steven Johnson

Producers

Arnon Milchan, Avi Arad, Bernard Williams, Gary Foster

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