DAREDEVIL The Man (& Screenwriter) Without Fear

by Christina Hamlett

Is 2003 slated to be the year that comics—and Marvel in particular—will rule at the box office? DAREDEVIL (released last month), and the upcoming X-MEN 2 and THE HULK are flexing their mega-muscles and super-powers to take the big screen by storm. Okay, so I’d heard of two out of three of these and I’m not even a fan of the genre. Who or what exactly is this leather-clad Daredevil guy and what’s with those horns and the billy-club?

To learn the answers, I caught up with Screenwriter/Director Mark Steven Johnson, who surely had to possess a few supernatural talents of his own in order to keep up a rigorous cross-country schedule during the production’s final, hectic weeks. His prior credits include SIMON BURCH, THE REPLACEMENTS, GRUMPY OLD MEN, and JACK FROST.

Perhaps an obvious question but one that’s a good starting point for your latest film: were you a fan of the Marvel superheroes when you were growing up in the 70’s?

Absolutely. I was the kid that waited outside of the local drug store at 6 a.m. just so I could be the first one to get the new comics as soon as they arrived.

And your hometown was where?

Hastings, Minnesota, a little river town on the Mississippi.

Sounds like they had themselves a pretty loyal follower to brave Minnesota winters at the crack of dawn! Brrrr! What exactly was it about the stories and/or characters in the strips that inspired that level of dedication?

I loved them because, to me, they were so realistic. I actually believed that Daredevil and Spiderman and Captain America existed. They were like Santa Clause to me. As I got older, I discovered (at an embarrassingly late age, I might add) that they weren't real, but that what they stood for was.

In terms of their ethics and ideals regarding an unbalanced world?

Exactly. These are my generation’s version of Greek mythology.

So in between reading the capers of your favorite caped crusaders, what kind of dreams did you have about what you wanted to do or be when you grew up?

This is going to sound really corny, but I always wanted to make movies. I remember going to see JAWS with my mother. That movie had a huge effect on me. I can still remember vividly watching the people around us as they watched the movie. Not just their screams, but their laughter, their sheer joy in being a part of this story. We walked out of the theatre and I turned to my mother and said, "That's what I want to do.”

Ah, but Hastings is a long way from the bright lights of Hollywood.

It’s a very long way. I didn't have enough money back then for a real movie camera, so my brother and I would do shows on a tape recorder, a lot like the old radio shows. I'd make up a story and then we'd do all the voices, sound effects, everything. Those tapes were a big hit with our friends.

Were they supportive of what you wanted to do?

I didn't really talk about it with them. And when I did, the reaction was always "Other people do that, not us."

What kept the dream alive for you?

Well, eventually I saved enough money for a Super 8 camera. I shot short films, stopmotion animation, everything. I would also send away for scripts when I was in high school. None of my friends even knew that there were scripts for movies.

So how did they think movies got made if nothing was written down?

I think they all just assumed that the actors made it up as they went!

Moving on from childhood into teens, who became your personal heroes beyond the pages of comic strips?

As I got older, I found plenty of real-world heroes, like Bruce Lee, who were super-human in their own way. And, like so many filmmakers of my generation, Steven Spielberg also had a huge influence on me.

Anybody else?

Evel Kneivel! Evel was the man. Even now when I tell people that I'm making the Daredevil movie, they think it's the Evel Kneivel story!

You read my mind! That’s exactly what I assumed when I got this assignment, not having been a comics fan myself (except for an occasional Brenda Starr). Having such heroes in the back of your mind, do you feel that you incorporate any of their qualities—or even part of yourself—into your protagonists?

Yeah. I admire anybody who isn't afraid to mentally and physically put themselves on the line. I love characters with courage. And that's what Daredevil is all about. The Man Without Fear. It's about a guy who bleeds just like you or me, but isn't afraid to risk it all for what he believes in.

I’m curious then as to how come such a bonus guy as Daredevil has never gotten as much press as his fellow men and women in tights. He’s got the cool outfit, he’s got the nifty powers, he puts in long hours at a day-job and still has enough energy left over to diligently get out there after darkness avenging the downtrodden. Why doesn’t he have the same kind of name recognition as everybody else?

That’s because Daredevil has always been a second tier character. Like yourself, most people have never heard of him before. Daredevil has always been a little darker, a little edgier, than lighter fare like Spiderman or X-men. I like that. I like that we're under the radar a little bit.

Do you think your film invites comparisons to prior adaptations of comic book crime-fighters?

With DAREDEVIL, it’s been my goal to try to separate ourselves from the other superhero movies in terms of tone and style. For instance, I like Batman, too, but I could never relate to him. He’s a billionaire in Gotham City. Matt is a struggling young lawyer in Hell’s Kitchen. That’s a real place and a real guy that I can identify with. It also shows the real world consequences of putting your body and soul on the line and that there are always consequences to violence.

And no Spidey-webs to fall back on?

No, just his heightened senses.

Do you think Ben Affleck makes a good Daredevil?

He's great! It’s really intimidating, along with how quickly he picked up the martial arts and billy club moves. Ben gives the character soul, sex appeal, intelligence.

Hey, we’d expect nothing less from the guy that People Magazine voted “Sexiest Man of the Year.”

And, like myself, he's also a life-long fan of Daredevil!

Multiple generations have been captivated by the action-hero concept whether the lead characters are flapping around in capes, chasing bad guys on horseback across the American West, or defending a distant galaxy. Do you think it's because of the link to the child within or to the adult's desire to transcend his own limitations and go forth to do good?

I think the recent success of SPIDERMAN and X-MEN shows that comics aren't just for kids anymore. There are serious themes involved.

What’s the core theme of DAREDEVIL?

DAREDEVIL is all about justice. A blind lawyer who turns into a masked vigilante at night. We all read the morning papers and watch the evening news, see the crime that goes unpunished, and wish that we could personally do something about it. Comic book heroes tell us a lot about ourselves. They are our morality tales.

Would you say, then, that there’s an underlying message about stepping up and taking responsibility that gets embedded in each of your scripts?

My movies tend to have a theme of the hero behind them. Again, it goes back to all those comic books I read as a kid. I love the underdog. That's what the GRUMPY movies are about, it's what SIMON BURCH was about, and now again with DAREDEVIL. I guess that's what always attracted me to the Daredevil character more than any other hero. He was blind. He was handicapped. So even though he was this costumed vigilante, he was always an underdog.

Your reference to Simon Burch brings up an intriguing parallel to The Man Without Fear. For those who may have missed this tearjerker of a film, you adapted it from John Irving’s novel (A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY) about a tiny boy named Simon born with Morquio’s Syndrome. The boundless faith and belief Simon embraces that God has put him on earth for a reason subsequently impacts everyone with whom he comes in contact. A pint-sized underdog with an enormous heart. If Simon Burch and Daredevil were to sit down for a conversation about their respective disabilities, what advice do you think each would give to the other?

If Simon Birch sat down with Daredevil, I think the conversation would turn to God. Simon would believe that God gave Daredevil his abilities for a reason. And I'm afraid Daredevil might see his gift as more of a curse.

What new elements did you add to Daredevil to lift it off the original Marvel comic strip in order to make it relevant on a 21st century movie screen?

It was important for me to make Daredevil the most realistic of the Marvel superheroes. I was interested in what it would really do to your mind and body to go out night after night to fight crime. We see Matt Murdock's body falling apart. He's had knee surgeries and his back is covered in scars. He pops Vicodin for the pain. The realism goes into his costume as well.

Please don’t tell me you’ve put him in yellow Spandex….
(Author note: The yellow portion of the comic strip character’s original duds was said to have been made from the remnants of his late father’s boxing robe, a reminder of Daredevil’s quest for revenge against the men who murdered him.)

The costume, of course, is the trickiest part of adapting a comic to film. What looks good in comic books often doesn’t translate. I wanted him to wear leather similar to what a speed biker wears so that it would protect his body.

Evel Kneivel, are you listening?

We also decided to go with a dark red, the color of blood.

Which definition do you think better fits Daredevil in this day and age: a hero or an anti-hero?

What really makes Daredevil such a great character is that he actually rides that line between hero and anti-hero. He's a lawyer who breaks the law. He wants justice but sometimes goes too far to get it. He's a Catholic who dresses like the Devil.

(Author’s note: I’ve been informed that those Satanic ‘horns’ on his head are actually ultra-high-tech antennae.)

With all of the emphasis that we have today on gadgets, gizmos, and glittering special effects, do you think cinematic technology has diminished the quality of the movie plots themselves?

The advances in visual effects have certainly made movies like DAREDEVIL or SPIDERMAN possible. But they still can't make up for good characterization or emotion. SPIDERMAN had thousands of eye-popping effects, but deep-down the audience loved that movie because of the romance between Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson.

So if you weren't a screenwriter/director, what would you be doing instead?

If I wasn't a filmmaker, I'd own a motorcycle shop.

Hmm…how did I know that was coming?

I love bikes. I love the freedom.

What's the best advice anyone ever gave you regarding the craft of writing?

Be bold. Be different. Be unique.

Flip side: what's the worst advice you ever got? Did you follow it or ignore it?

The worst advice I ever got was from my father. He told me it was never going to happen and that I should major in business like he did. Luckily, I didn't listen to him.

In closing, what are your words of wisdom to newcomers who are trying to break into the industry?

Don't give up. I'm always surprised at how many struggling writers aren't really writing. They read books about how to sell their script, and they take classes, etc. But they don't write. Writing is like everything else. You'll only get better the more you do it. Write every day. It doesn't have to be a screenplay. Write one scene. Write a comedy sketch. Write anything. Just write. And don't listen to your father.

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THE STORYLINE: Matt Murdoch, son of “Battling Jack” Murdoch of Hell’s Kitchen, might have lead an ordinary, workaday existence if it hadn’t been for waking up one day and performing a single, selfless act of bravery. As a result of saving a blind man’s life, Murdoch himself loses his sight. This is no ordinary deprivation, of course. His other senses kick into supernatural high-gear to compensate for everything he used to take for granted. Couple this with some intense training in the martial arts and you’ve got a darned lethal weapon prowling the mean streets of New York, especially when he’s also out to avenge the death of his dad and the injustices of the modern courtroom where he toils by day as an attorney.

Former actress and director Christina Hamlett is the published author of 17 books, 98 plays and musicals, and several hundred magazine and newspaper articles which appear throughout the world. For further information on her background or to query regarding her script coverage services for film and stage, she can be reached at Scriptingsuccess@cswebmail.com.