Netflix and Marvel Bet on Local Heroes
在地漫畫英雄躍上銀幕
By Dave Itzkoff

In the pantheon of Marvel Comics, Daredevil might not be the first superhero you’d turn to in a bind.
在漫威漫畫的眾多英雄之中，夜魔俠或許不是你第一個喜歡上的超級英雄。

He doesn’t have the high-tech arsenal of Iron Man or the godlike might of Thor. His few attempts to transcend comic books include an uninspiring appearance in a 1989 “Incredible Hulk” television movie and the starring role in a misbegotten 2003 film starring Ben Affleck.
他沒有鋼鐵人的高科技武器，也沒有雷神索爾的神力。他試圖跳脫漫畫的少數嘗試包括，在1989年電視電影「無敵浩克」中不甚出色的亮相，以及2003年在班艾佛列克主演、風評不佳的電影中擔任主角。

But this neglected champion has become vitally important to Marvel’s ambitions to take its characters from page to screen.
但是在漫威把旗下角色從書中帶往大銀幕的遠大計畫中，這個被忽視的戰士已變得極度重要。

Netflix has released all 13 episodes of the first season of “Daredevil,” starring Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, the victim of a childhood accident that blinded him but gave him extrasensory powers.
Netflix已發行第一季「夜魔俠」影集全季13集，由查理．考克斯飾演麥特．墨鐸，幼時因車禍失明，但也從而取得超感官的力量。

Netflix will add three more shows based on the Marvel characters Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Then, a mini-series, “The Defenders,” will unite these characters into a superteam.
Netflix未來將增加三部以漫威角色潔西卡．瓊斯、路克．凱吉和鐵拳為主角的影集，之後還有部迷你影集「捍衛者聯盟」把這些角色組成個超級團隊。

It is a strategy that Marvel and Netflix hope will duplicate the success of “The Avengers,” the franchise that combined the characters of Iron Man, Thor and Captain America
漫威和Netflix期望這個策略能像組合鋼鐵人、雷神索爾和美國隊長的「復仇者聯盟」，複製其成功。

A Hulk-sized smash is hardly guaranteed: The characters in “The Defenders” are not as familiar as those presented by Marvel in its films. And each television series must stand on its own for the whole enterprise to work.
但幾乎無法保證這能像浩克的一擊般驚天動地，因為「捍衛者聯盟」中的角色不像漫威在電影中那些角色一樣為人熟知。且每部影集必須各自向公司證明能夠賣座。

After “The Avengers” was released in 2012, Marvel surveyed its roster of costumed characters, looking for potential television projects. Daredevil and his New York allies seemed well equipped for smaller-scale conflicts.
2012年「復仇者聯盟」上映後，漫威對旗下漫畫角色做了番研究，看看何者可用來拍電視劇。夜魔俠和他的紐約盟友看起來很適合規模較小的衝突。

There was nothing small, however, about the size of Marvel’s pitch: It wanted an upfront order of all five series, without pilot episodes. That approach seemed to rule out broadcast networks like ABC, which, like Marvel, is owned by Walt Disney, and which carries other Marvel series, like the espionage adventure “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
然而，漫威的作法規模可一點也不小，它想要把這5齣戲列為優先順序，而不是試播。這個方法似乎已排除美國國家廣播公司（ABC）這樣的廣播電視網，ABC和漫威皆隸屬華特迪士尼集團，且ABC正播出漫威其他系列，像是間諜冒險影集「神盾局特工」。

Netflix, the streaming video service, started its political thriller “House of Cards” with a two-season guarantee, and was willing to make a bigger commitment to the “Defenders.”
串流影片服務公司Netflix開始播出政治影集「紙牌屋」時保證播兩季，且願為「捍衛者聯盟」作出更大的承諾。

Ted Sarandos of Netflix said that he was drawn to the characters Marvel was offering because “these were all nonconventional heroes – really grounded.”
Netflix的泰德．薩蘭多斯說，他被漫威提供的角色吸引，因為「這些人皆非傳統英雄，非常在地」。

“Daredevil,” adapted from the comics series Marvel introduced in 1964, takes its inspiration from the character’s post-1980s publication history, when writers and illustrators helped define him as a hard-boiled hero in a world of crime.
「夜魔俠」改編自漫威1964年推出的系列漫畫，靈感擷取自這個角色1980年代之後的出版史，作家和插畫家協助將他塑造為犯罪世界中的英雄。

The “Daredevil” show runner, Steven S. DeKnight, explained the protagonist’s central conflict: “Will he be a young man who will grow up to solve the world’s problems as a lawyer, or to solve them with his fists?”
「夜魔俠」的節目統籌史蒂芬．S．狄奈特解釋劇中主角的中心衝突：「他將成為一個長大後當上律師，解決世界問題的年輕人？或是用他的拳頭來解決這些問題？」

For the moment, Netflix is being stealthy about how many seasons it will give to “Daredevil.”
此刻，Netflix對於將讓「夜魔俠」播出幾季仍諱莫如深。

Mr. Cox said he was committed to his character. “I think I’ll be playing Daredevil well into my 90s, if they’ll have me,” he said. “I couldn’t think of anything I’d rather be doing. Maybe speak to me again when I’m 70 and see if I feel that way.”
考克斯說他已經全心投入這個角色，他說：「我覺得我會一路扮演夜魔俠直到90多歲，只要他們到時候還要我。我想不到還有什麼事是我更想做的，也許當我70歲時再來問我，看我是否還這麼想。」

原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/07/arts/television/with-marvels-daredevil-netflix-looks-to-build-its-own-superteam.html

2015-05-05聯合報/G9版/UNITED DAILY NEWS 莊蕙嘉譯 原文參見紐時週報十二版下