Nia DaCosta put herself on the map with 2021's Candyman remake/sequel, though Marvel Studios had already enlisted the filmmaker to take charge of its Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels.
It's common for Kevin Feige to meet with filmmakers and hear their pitches and, sometimes, years will pass before their phones ring with an offer to lend their talents to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That won't always be for one of the projects originally discussed either and, in DaCosta's case, she was initially keen to tackle X-Men.
Well, two specific X-Men.
Asked about a recent TV spot which appeared to tease the X-Men (the "X" in "NEXT" was the last letter to fade off the screen), DaCosta largely dodged the question but shared her dashed hopes to bring Cyclops and Storm to the screen.
"I really like Scott Summers and Storm together and their dynamic fighting over who should lead the X-Men, like in the Chris Claremont run," the filmmaker said, proving she's a legit comic book fan. "I think some Cyclops and Storm team-up movie would be fun."
It's an undeniably fun-sounding premise, though not one Marvel Studios is likely to explore before the X-Men franchise is rebooted for the MCU. That isn't expected to happen until after Avengers: Secret Wars, but if The Marvels is well-received, it's entirely possible DaCosta could eventually be involved in that mutant-filled corner of this shared world.
It's clearly a passion project for the filmmaker, anyway, as she first recalled this pitch while promoting Candyman two years ago. "I just nerded out," she said of her initial meeting with Marvel Studios. "I was like, 'Here are the movies I think you should do! Galactus, Storm, and Scott Summers team-up movie! Blah blah blah!'"
It's unclear how The Marvels will fare at the box office this weekend and we're expecting the first social media reactions to drop later today. It's always wise to take those with a pinch of salt but the embargo on full reviews will lift tomorrow morning, meaning a Rotten Tomatoes score is incoming!
Back to X-Men and Marvel Studios is said to be meeting with writers to develop the project.
The Marvels arrives in theaters on November 10 with preview screenings beginning the evening before.