Out and about on the publicity trail for The Martian, Matt Damon has opened up about his near-miss with superhero glory. Talking with the New York Daily News he 'fessed up to having once nearly accepted a major Marvel role, and whether or not he'd be interested in committing to the cape in the future.
“I think he approached it the right way," Damon said when asked about his best buddy Ben Affleck's own foray into the comic book arena, "which is, ‘Can I make a great superhero movie?’ rather than, ‘Do I want to play a superhero?’ I’d consider it if the right thing came along."
"For us it was always Daredevil — that’s the comic we read when we were kids," he adds. "But when that one came along (in 2003) I chickened out, because I couldn’t tell. I hadn’t seen the director (Mark Steven Johnson‘s) work and I didn’t know. So I just said, ‘No.’ Ben was like, ‘I gotta do it.’”
And while the overall reaction to that version of Daredevil wasn't positive that's not dissuaded Damon from contemplating a reboot. "If Chris Nolan came up to me and said, 'I want to do Daredevil,' I would be in," he said, jokingly. Alas seeing as Marvel's small screen series is currently shooting its second season, and Damon's own slate is rather packed it's more likely wishful thinking than a potential reality. But like Damon we can dream, can't we?