Every time Marvel Studios rolls out its next phase announcements, the speculation begins. Which actor might suit up to play the first-ever version of a beloved comic book character onscreen? Will we get a first look at them in the next Marvel post-credits scene? And, of course, there’s the matter of who will sit behind the camera to bring it all together. If that latter example is what really intrigues you, then you might be interested to learn of a certain horror auteur who nearly lensed a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie.
During a recent interview to promote Don’t Breathe, director Fede Alvarez revealed that at one point in time he was in negotiations with the studio supreme. The filmmaker chatted to Screen Rant when he was asked if he’d ever be interested in joining a major studio’s cinematic universe.
Here’s his response:
“No. Look. A lot of those movies are cool and audiences are going and watching them. It’s just as a director it’s harder to have your vision in those, if you go and do a Marvel movie… At some point we were in conversations and… they already figured it out. They’ve figured out the style. They’ve figured out the way they shoot them. They’ve figured out the colors, the humor. What would I do? I enjoy a lot more freedom than that. I don’t know.
Eventually I might. And it depends on probably the characters in the stories. But just something about my job as a director that I really enjoy is creating my own thing. It’s trying to do my own style when I shoot it and set the tone myself… Evil Dead was a challenge in that aspect.”
Creative freedom is often the cited reason for many helmers dropping out of flicks. We lost out on the chance to see Edgar Wright’s labor of love Ant-Man when he exited the project on similar grounds, and Patty Jenkins bowed out of Thor: The Dark World – but she landed on her feet a few years later when she snagged the Wonder Woman gig from Marvel’s rival, Warner Bros.
While Alvarez’s involvement – which CBM supposes could have been connected to Doctor Strange – didn’t advance to the same stages as Wright and Jenkins, it’s still interesting to note that the studio continues to approach a diverse group of filmmakers. It looks as if Alvarez’s directing style on Evil Dead is what caught Marvel’s eye, but ultimately, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was too restrictive for his designs.
Luckily, fans of Alvarez’s work can strap themselves in for another chilling offering, as Don’t Breathe creeps into theaters on August 26.
