Netflix's Daredevil casts Charlie Cox as blind Marvel superhero

The Boardwalk Empire star will play the lead in the new 13-episode series

Charlie Cox, here playing an MI6 agent in Legacy, has been cast as the lead in Marvel's new Netflix series Daredevil (BBC)

Charlie Cox has been cast in Netflix’s upcoming drama Daredevil, based on the Marvel comic book series.

The British actor will play blind New York lawyer by day, crime-fighting superhero by night Matt Murdock for 13 episodes, it has been confirmed.

Ben Affleck was the last to don the iconic red horns for Daredevil in the critically-panned 2003 film.

Cox, who recently starred in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and is known for 2007’s Stardust, joins the new project after a shake-up last weekend.

Showrunner Drew Goddard left Daredevil to be replaced by Spartacus’ Steven S DeKnight, but will stay on as an executive producer. Goddard is believed to be focusing on directing and writing The Amazing Spider-Man spin-off, Sinister Six.

Streaming service Netflix is set to premiere four solo Marvel superhero series, with Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage set to follow Daredevil in that order. The quartet will then join forces for miniseries The Defenders, reports suggest.

Marvel has been heavily investing in television after enjoying huge box office success in recent years. Daredevil is rumoured for a 2015 release, with production due to begin this summer.