Before I begin, I want to point out the irony of reporting this story, as it is about internet articles/ rumors coming out before all the information is confirmed, with said articles then disrupting the actual production process. So essentially, a story about how another news outlet leaked a story, which then changed the story. Confused? It will all be explained.
It seems Jason Statham was in heated negotiations for the role of Bullseye in Season 2 of Marvel/ Netflix’s ‘Daredevil,’ which was reported while negotiations were still taking place by Latino-Review. Fans jumped at the news, elated that a celebrated action-star like Statham might join a great show like ‘Daredevil,’ and it soon became clear that Statham had a definite fan-mandate for the role. Shortly afterwords, the negotiations fell apart, which many claim is the direct result of the news spreading before things were finalized. According to Bloody Disgusting:
“[Statham] was legitimately in heavy negotiations for the role and the leak killed it. Perhaps his agent saw the positive uproar and instantly upped the actor’s asking fee? Perhaps the studio spotted the same excited reaction and preemptively killed the deal out of fear of Statham’s management going for more money? Who knows. The bottom line is that yesterday the Crank star was at the top of the list and deep in negotiations and today Marvel has moved on to other pastures.”
Which basically boils down to A) Statham heard about the fan excitement and he and his people tried to negotiate a better deal for him based on the fan support, which ended with Marvel terminating the deal (somewhat understandably as they are pretty strict on their contract negotiations), or B) Marvel terminated the deal before Statham’s people ever approached with a new offer, in anticipation of new demands. Of course, there are other scenarios that could have happened, but these seem the most likely.
It is a shame really, as Statham would have fit nicely into the ‘Daredevil’ world, especially with all his experience with practical fights, which would have meshed perfectly with the more realistic feel of the show.
Should posters refrain from breaking news until it is confirmed, especially when negotiations are actively going on? Should fan reaction not play a part in how actors and studios negotiate their deals? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
