Several WWE superstars, including the likes of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Dave Bautista and John Cena, have successfully transitioned to the big screen, with each of them even signing on to join comic book properties. Well, someone who would like to follow in their giant footsteps is Paul Wight a.k.a. The Big Show, who has now staked claim to the role of Wilson “The Kingpin” Fisk in any potential Daredevil reboot.
“The one that really I’m looking at it, I would love if they do a remake, I’m definitely going to go after pretty hard is that they do a Daredevil remake. And I’m going to definitely go after Kingpin pretty hard. I think Kingpin’s a shoe-in for me.”
Considering that The Kingpin in the comics is 6-foot-7 and 450 pounds, almost all of which is muscle, The Big Show would certainly be a pretty accurate fit, physically speaking. It sounds like the wrestler is eager to go toe-to-toe with the Man Without Fear, with Wight sounding quite confident that he could win the role he so desperately covets.
The WWE Superstar also discussed some of the other gargantuan comic book characters that have been successfully brought to life on screen, highlighting the significance Thanos, played by Josh Brolin in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
“Thanos is this big, massive villain with complexities, but the way Josh Brolin played Thanos, he played it so perfectly and so spot-on. Because when you’re that big and you’re that powerful, you really don’t have to constantly impress your boys or change your tone or any of that stuff. You already know who you are. When I saw him play Thanos and I saw it in theaters. I was like, ‘Wow, that was so perfectly done on so many levels.'”
He also stated that he is open to any role that he is lucky enough be offered, noting Samuel L. Jackson’s work-ethic as a source of inspiration. “I want be like Samuel L. Jackson. I don’t work to turn anything down but the pillowcases,” Show said.
So far, The Kingpin has been played in live action on the big screen by Michael Clarke Duncan in 2003’s [Daredevil}, and by Vincent D’Onofrio on the small screen in the Netflix series, with both portrayals displaying well the sheer, dominating size of the character. The latter performance received much critical acclaim, with D’Onofrio crafting a villain every bit as complex as the titular hero.
D’Onofrio has spoken about his desire to return to the role, with the actor being as stunned as the audience following the sudden cancellation of Netflix’s Daredevil last year. The series ended with our hero Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer who fights crime under the guise of Daredevil, beating the villainous Kingpin into submission. With the tyrannical gangster back behind bars, and Matt agreeing to once again work alongside his friends Foggy and Karen, the final shot reveals that newly introduced supervillain Bullseye is alive and ready to wreak havoc with his particular set of skills.
Sadly, the actor behind the horned devil mask, Charlie Cox, does not sound too optimistic about this version of the Man Without Fear continuing on Disney+ with the actor saying, “I don’t feel that way, no. And, I don’t know why I don’t feel that way. But, I haven’t been given any reason to believe that. And, from a cynical point of view, it just feels like maybe I’m trying to protect myself, ’cause I’d love nothing more than to do it again.”
Bad news for Cox and D’Onofrio could be good news for The Big Show. This comes to us from Comicbook.com.
