The Marvel Cinematic Universe is full of creative directors, and when they get on board, Marvel Studios generally do everything they can to keep them. However, being as creative as they are and with a passion for so many other projects, they’ll always leave the nest eventually.
But there are others who are just as happy to stay at the studio, playing in the Marvel sandbox for years to come. Between a live-action adaptation of Akira, inducting the Fantastic Four into the MCU, and an upcoming gangster epic, Marvel fans’ favorite directors have a lot of upcoming projects to get excited about.
Next Goal Wins (Directed By Taika Waititi)
Soccer movies tend to be few and far between, and when there is one that gets a theatrical release, it isn’t usually all that popular. However, given the recent success of the AppleTV+ series Ted Lasso and interest in the recent Euros championship, there seems to be rising popularity in the sport in the U.S. Taika Waititi has a fascination with the sport too, as the Thor: Ragnarok director will be adapting the 2014 documentary, The Next Goal Wins.
Though Waititi is one of the best directors in comic book history, there’s just as much to be excited about here as there is for Thor: Love and Thunder. The filmmaker’s movies outside the MCU are generally creative comedies about misunderstood characters, such as What We Do In The Shadows and Jojo Rabbit, and Next Goal Wins looks to be no different.
Shrunk (Directed By Joe Johnston)
Joe Johnston, the director of Captain America: The First Avenger, has been fairly quiet in recent years and hasn’t had his name attached to a theatrically released movie since the 2011 film. However, that’s all going to change soon, as Shrunk is currently in pre-production.
Shrunk is the fourth movie in the series that began with Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, which was also directed by Johnston. Though he hasn’t directed a movie in more than 10 years, Shrunk is in safe hands. Not only did he helm the original movie, but Johnston is also a family movie elder statesman, having also directed The Rocketeer and Jumanji.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (Directed By James Gunn)
James Gunn loves to stay busy, as when he isn’t working for Marvel Studios, he’s directing ultra-violent movies like Suicide Squad for the DCEU. However, now that Suicide Squad has seen its theatrical release and all that’s left for him is a few more press junkets, he’s back to work on the Guardians series.
The script for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is complete, but it’ll still be a while before it sees the light of day. Gunn will also direct the Guardians Holiday Special, a one-off Disney+ episode, which is due for release during the holiday season of 2022.
Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania (Directed By Peyton Reed)
Fans have to love Peyton Reed’s commitment to Ant-Man. Though the filmmaker directed the finale of season 2 of The Mandalorian, he has put most of his energy into the Marvel superhero and hasn’t directed any movie outside of the series since 2008.
That dedication continues, as the director is now hard at work on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Not much is known about the movie except that it’ll see Jonathan Majors return as Kang the Conquerer, and there’s a lot of pressure on Reed’s shoulders, as the movie could drastically change the wider MCU.
The Fantastic Four (Directed By Jon Watts)
The excitement for The Fantastic Four might be a little preemptive, as Jon Watts hasn’t even wrapped up his work on Spider-Man: No Way Home yet.
But just as Marvel Studios did with the Russo brothers, as they jumped from directing Captain America movies to Avengers movies, the studio believes in Watts enough to helm The Fantastic Four. The announcement can only mean one thing for No Way Home too, which is that it’s shaping up to be something incredible.
The Gray Man (Directed By The Russo Brothers)
After they directed the highest-grossing movie of all time, Avengers: Endgame, the Russo brothers haven’t exactly taken the much-needed break that a task like that would demand. This year, the directing duo released crime-thriller Cherry, and now The Gray Man is currently in post-production and set for release on Netflix later in the year.
The Russo brothers still work with MCU actors all the time, and The Gray Man will continue that tradition, as it stars Chris Evans. The actor plays a CIA operative who is sent to hunt down one of his own, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most exciting cat-and-mouse thrillers of the 21st century.
Akira (Directed By Taika Waititi)
Next Goal Wins isn’t the only non-MCU movie that Taika Waititi is set to direct. The filmmaker is on board to direct a live-action adaptation of the anime classic, Akira. Waititi could make Akira great, as he could introduce new themes and adapt different parts of the graphic novel.
The list doesn’t end with an anime adaptation and a soccer movie either, as every movie studio seemingly wants a slice of Waititi’s strange humor. The director is also planning to direct an animated Charlie and the Chocolate Factory series for Netflix and a Flash Gordon movie for 21st Century Studios.
Bermuda (Directed By Scott Derrickson)
The choice of director for Doctor Strange always seemed like an odd one, as Scott Derrickson came not only from a horror background, but he has made tons of scary movies. The filmmaker directed Hellraiser: Inferno, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and Sinister, to name a few.
Though the release date hasn’t been announced, Derrickson will be returning to more mysterious screenplays, as he’ll be directing a thriller movie about the Bermuda Triangle. He’ll be teaming up with another Marvel Cinematic Universe alum, Chris Evans.
The Electric State (Directed By The Russo Brothers)
With filming just wrapped on The Gray Man, the Russo brothers aren't sitting still for too long, as they’re already at work on their follow-up. The duo will return to the world that made them famous in the first place, comic books, as they will be directing The Electric State for Universal.
The comic book takes place in an apocalyptic version of the mid-'90s, and it could be the first truly exciting movie to come from the Brothers since Avengers: Endgame. The artwork of the comic book is visually stunning, and if the Russos lift the panels straight from the graphic novel for the storyboard, it could even give the visuals of Endgame a run for its money.
The Many Saints Of Newark (Directed By Alan Taylor)
Of all the movies being worked on by MCU directors, The Many Saints of Newark is closest to release, and though it won’t capture the attention of every MCU fan, the movie already has a fanbase of its own. The movie is a prequel to the events of The Sopranos, and it’s directed by Alan Taylor, the filmmaker behind Thor: The Dark World.
Though The Dark World wasn’t exactly the most positively received movie in the MCU, there’s no doubt about how great Newark will be, as Taylor directed many of the best episodes of The Sopranos. And with the trailer already out, it’s looking like it’ll be the most explosive and thrilling gangster epic in years.