Many people had a feeling that this move was on the horizon but to hear it officially makes it real and even kind of stings. Daredevil has officially been cancelled by Netflix after three seasons. If you remember last month Netflix had already cancelled both Luke Cage and Iron Fist. This news comes from an exclusive in Deadline.
In a statement given by the streaming platform to Deadline, Netflix says, “Marvel’s Daredevil will not return for a fourth season on Netflix. We are tremendously proud of the show’s last and final season and although it’s painful for the fans, we feel it best to close this chapter on a high note. We’re thankful to showrunner Erik Oleson, the show’s writers, stellar crew and incredible cast including Charlie Cox as Daredevil himself, and we’re grateful to the fans who have supported the show over the years. While the series on Netflix has ended, the three existing seasons will remain on the service for years to come, while the Daredevil character will live on in future projects for Marvel.”
The timing of this is interested as it comes only one month after Daredevil returned with its new season after a long break. With this cancellation there are two more Marvel properties as Netflix series The Punisher and Jessica Jones. Both of which may also be on the chopping block as the Marvel TV run on the platform is nearing an end as Disney gears up for their own streaming service Disney+. As of now the two upcoming seasons of The Punisher and Jones are set to run as currently scheduled.
The cancellation of Daredevil comes while there has been much talk of strained relations between Netflix and Marvel TV which became evident when the SVOD player abruptly pulled the plug on a third season of Luke Cage after the scripts had been written, and a formal renewal had been considered a foregone conclusion.
There is more that plays a part in the ending of the series. In addition to the inevitable “creative differences,” there also had been talk of the parties’ not being able to reach a deal. The Marvel shows on Netflix are costly to make, even with New York’s generous tax credits. Back in 2013, the streamer paid top dollar for the series that it doesn’t own. With the high cost, there has been pressure on the Marvel series to go above and beyond in performance and viewership. Which is something that was easier early on when they were among a handful of Netflix originals but is getting harder today as they compete more shows with an incredible amount of buzz that come to the network.
Additionally, Netflix and Marvel TV have been arguing over the season orders. Being part of the first wave of Netflix original series, all Marvel series have produced 13-episode seasons. But Netflix has since switched to seasons of 10 episodes and has been pressuring Marvel TV to switch to fewer episodes, which the company had been resisting.
But not to fret fans of the devil of Hell’s Kitchen there is one line in that statement by Marvel that offers some glimmer of hope, “the Daredevil character will live on in future projects for Marvel.”Hopefully this means we will see Matt Murdock appear on the big screen sometime soon.
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