In an attempt to not lose the film rights to ‘Daredevil,’ 20th Century Fox is hoping a deal with Marvel will help keep the superhero at their studios.

If you recall, Fox originally had an agreement with Marvel that unless a film version of ‘Daredevil’ began by October 10th, the rights to the character would revert back to Marvel. With the exit of director David Slate last month, it looked like Fox would be relinquishing their hold on the Man without Fear.

But in a last ditch effort, Fox has found a director they would like to helm the reboot. Apparently, Fox is in talks with Joe Carnahan (‘The Fourth Kind’, ‘The A-Team’) to direct what has been described as a “Frank Miller-esque hardcore 70’s thriller” – something quite different than the Marvel/Disney family friendly tone of ‘The Avengers‘, ‘Captain America‘, and ‘Thor‘. Although Carnahan has yet to be given an official offer, sources say that he is at the top of Fox’s short list.

Marvel is said to be open to giving Fox an extension to the deadline but not without something in return. In exchange to giving the studio more time to develop ‘Daredevil’, they want the rights to certain characters from the Fantastic Four universe including supervillain Galactus and his servant the Silver Surfer. Marvel has big plans for their superhero cinema universe that includes the Destroyer of Worlds, Galactus. Rumor has it that he may have a key role in future Marvel films. With Galactus comes Silver Surfer who, in the comic books series, brokered a deal in order to save his home planet and now serves as Galactus’ messenger.

Talks between Fox and Marvel are to resume later in the week. It may seem like a win-win offer, but if the deal is accepted, then the person who may not come out on top is Josh Trank. Trank is currently in development for a ‘Fantastic Four’ reboot and this arrangement will restrict who he can and cannot include in his film.

Reps from all involved would not comment on the dealings but the implications are tremendous. With the sequel to ‘The Avengers’ rumored to have Thanos as their next villian, could Galactus be next in line?

Source: Variety