Who Should Direct The Avengers Movie?

Oct 16, 2009 by Kofi Outlaw

TEAM MOVIE, TEAM EFFORT

Avengers Characters and Directors

The Avengers (as this post has hopefully pointed out) is a project with more moving parts than one of Michael Bay’s Transformers. People are going to be coming to the theater (presumably having seen three (to four) truly kick-ass superhero flicks) expecting their favorite heroes to be greater than the sum of their individual parts. As Louis Leterrier pointed out in a prior interview, a collaboration between himself, Iron Man director Jon Favreau, Thor director Kenneth Branagh and director of The First Avenger: Captain America, Joe Johnston, might just be the best way to make sure that Avengers is a movie event that hits theaters with all engines on full throttle.

After all – who better to ensure that Avengers Thor is as cool as Branagh’s Thor – that Avengers Iron Man is as cool of Favreau’s version, etc… other than the directors who (presumably) made each hero a box office hit in the first place?

The way I imagine it, you take the guy who is a solid helmer (Leterrier) and let him coordinate, while the other three directors share their input and insights into their respective characters scene by scene, maybe even getting behind the camera here and there if they have a vivid sense of how a particular scene or sequence should be realized. Each of these guys will be coming to the table with impressive resumes and specific experience in the superhero genre; I would expect they each wish for their respective characters to enhance the shared Avengers experience as much as possible, so why NOT work together to make sure that happens?

An added bonus: breaking up the work load would ensure that everybody could put 100% of their talent to the task without wearing themselves down to a nub. If there was ever a film I thought might be too much for any one director, Avengers would surely be it.

If I had to list the strengths each current Marvel superhero director would bring to The Avengers:

Favreau = the fun and the cool swagger.
Branagh = weighted drama that never turns cheese on us.
Johnston = the sense of cinematic adventure (and some wicked set designs).
Leterrier = kick-ass action sequences.

So that’s my call: keep it in the family. If Marvel starts trying to bring in a new director to pull together the visions of so many (perhaps more talented) others, I can only think that something would be inevitably be lost or diluted.

The New Marvel Movie Logos for Thor, Captain America, Iron Man 2 and Avengers

RUNNERS UP: I have to just mention that I think Len Wiseman (Underworld, Live Free or Die Hard) and Neill Blomkamp (District 9) are two names I would at least CONSIDER for a shot at directing The Avengers. Wiseman came out of nowhere with Underworld and its sequel and (with some half-Matrix, half-creature-feature imagination) gave rise to a new action-horror franchise. His Die Hard 4, while not loved by everyone, was certainly a polished and satisfactory entry in one of (if not THE) most beloved action franchises of all time.

Blomkamp shocked the world with District 9 this past summer, likely making some studio execs truly sorry they didn’t give him a shot at the Halo movie as was initially planned. D-9 was a small-scale project (from a budget standpoint) from a director who has mostly worked on TV commercials – however, Blomkamp totally embodies what I meant when I used that word “vision.”

Just a couple names to keep in the back of your mind.

What about you – do you think a collaborative effort directing The Avengers is a knot just waiting to happen? Is there an individual director you think would be able to rise to the challenge?

Check the photo above for release dates on all upcoming Marvel superhero movies. The Avengers will be in theaters on May 4, 2012.

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Tags: the avengers