Now that Avengers: Infinity War has fundamentally changed the landscape of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, here are 5 new directors we’d love to see jump in.
Don’t worry, fans: There are no Avengers: Infinity War spoilers here. However, all indications are that it seriously changes the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it. With Kevin Feige already saying we won’t know about most post-Avengers 4 movies until after that film next year, it seems like the perfect time to make a wishlist of directors.
Some of these directors probably won’t have a chance to work on the MCU in the near future, if at all. But all of them have distinct styles that could really play well with characters both familiar to the big screen and unfamiliar.
Without further ado, check these five directors out!
Guillermo del Toro
He has an Oscar for Best Director (and a contract with Fox Searchlight, but hey, Fox and Disney are supposed to be merging). However, we’re not just picking Guillermo del Toro for his hardware. We’re picking him for his chops.
He’s never shied away from the weird or strange in his own films. In fact, he worked his movie magic and made us sympathize with a fish man in The Shape of Water, which also won Best Picture at the Oscars this year. That’s some serious work.
We’d love to see him take a crack at someone like Doctor Strange. If you thought the first standalone film was wild, just think of what it’d be like with del Toro’s vision.
Gina Prince-Bythewood
Technically speaking, Gina Prince-Bythewood is already working on a Marvel film. However, that film is Silver & Black — otherwise known as part of Sony’s Marvel-but-not-MCU list of Spider-Man related properties.
Obviously, the natural move to the MCU would be for her to work on the Spider-Man films, but that’s so expected. Frankly, it doesn’t mean she couldn’t do something in her other niches; she was part of the team that created Shots Fired, and she also directed part of upcoming TV series Cloak & Dagger … which is also part of the MCU.
Could the Falcon get his own film if he picks up the mantle of Captain America? Or could she work on perhaps bringing the long-awaited all-female superhero movie to life? We’d trust Prince-Bythewood to direct all of these and more.
Jordan Peele
Jordan Peele might have jokingly said he’s working on Get Out 2 after some recent events, but he has a knack for mixing humor with things humor usually doesn’t work with … like horror. Don’t tell me parts of Get Out didn’t make you laugh!
Anyway, Peele probably is too busy creating his own content to come to the MCU. However, if he did direct a movie in the universe, which hero should he handle?
Perhaps the funniest hero out there is Spider-Man. Could you imagine Peele’s Spider-Man: Homecoming 2? Now imagine what Peele could do with some of Spidey’s villains … Green Goblin, anyone?
Karyn Kusama
Karyn Kusama has some horror and sci-fi films under her belt, like Jennifer’s Body and Aeon Flux, so she could definitely come into the MCU’s big-budget world and knock a movie out of the park.
Especially with a movie like Jennifer’s Body, there’s a mix of tones that could easily translate to all the different nuances of what we’ve come to expect from MCU films. However, Aeon Flux also proves she can handle action.
That’s why we’d love to see Kusama direct a Scarlet Witch standalone. No, we will not stop asking for it until we get more of Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff.
John Woo
With a hugely recognizable style and a following all his own, John Woo doesn’t really need the MCU. But oh, can you imagine the heights an MCU movie under his direction could reach in terms of action and sheer style?
We can, and we are, and let us tell you: It is a glorious, glorious vision we have. If Woo’s full four-hour version of Red Cliff is any indication, he can make something beautifully dramatic and action-packed at the same time.
That’s why we’d want him to take on the ultimate challenge: The Fantastic Four.
Twice Fox has tried to make something out of Marvel’s First Family. Twice it has failed. But with Woo’s keen sense for both action and drama to lead the way, we’d watch every minute, even if it were four hours long.
Next: 20 best superhero comics to read after Infinity War
Which directors do you want to join the MCU post-Avengers 4?