The news broke last night that director Destin Daniel Cretton will no longer helm Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and will instead focus on his Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings sequel, the Wonder Man Disney+ series (which will be part of the Spotlight banner), and other, unnamed Marvel Studios projects.
Marvel Studios will now begin the search for another filmmaker to take charge of the ambitious MCU event movie, and it sounds like whoever does take the gig is going to be very busy for the next few years.
According to Jeff Sneider, Kevin Feige ideally wants the same director for both The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, which is "essentially a two-parter." Sneider has also heard that a title change may be imminent. It now seems clear that Marvel will take steps to veer away from the planned Kang storyline, either replacing Jonathan Majors as the villain or ditching the character altogether and shifting focus to another Multiverse Saga big bad (possibly Doctor Doom).
If accurate, it obviously wouldn't make much sense to keep The Kang Dynasty name, and Sneider believes "Secret Wars Part 1" and Secret Wars Part 2" is a more likely outcome.
As for Secret Wars, we have previously heard that the studio was looking at tried and tested filmmakers behind some of the most popular and successful movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to ensure the hugely ambitious project is in safe hands, including Jon Favreau (Iron Man), and Ryan Coogler (Black Panther). Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness helmer Sam Raimi was also said to be a "top Choice."
There's a chance Feige still has one of these directors in mind to bring in both hugely ambitions Avengers movies.
Loki EP Kevin Wright recently indicated that In The Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldon was working on both The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars.
"As far as where it's all going, I can't say and not because I am being coy, we're not a part of those projects. What I would say is, I mean, I know Michael Waldron is working on them and he loves obviously this world as he helped create it."
If the same filmmaker does ultimately sign on to helm both movies, who would you most like to see in the director's chair?
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on May 1, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars to follow on May 7, 2027.