Ever wanted any of the legends to take over a comic-book movie for a change? This article is for you. Before I start I'd like to point out the hypotheticals here. These nominees/selections are going by the assumption that these directors would get to 1) have full creative control and choose their own team to create the film. 2) Would or wouldn't have to work under the confides of a cinematic universe (whichever would work best for the situation)...and 3) That they would actually take the gig and take it seriously (of course). Kinda funny I feel the need to point that out considering it's hard to imagine studio execs intervening with a GOAT's work anyway. Without further ado....
Quentin Tarantino - "Luke Cage"
Luke Cage is a prominent, and one of the first black heroes in comics that got his start back in the 70s as "Power-Man". He gained the abilities of unbreakable/bullet-proof skin and super strength after being wrongfully imprisoned for a crime someone else did.
Cage's popularity rose in a time where blaxploitation was the dominant wave of cinema. His character is a direct reflection of that. Tarantino is a guy who grew up loving blaxploitation films and has played around with the genre pretty well in the movies Jackie Brown and Django Unchained. A throwback style, neo-blaxplo starring Luke Cage would be an EXTREMELY fun movie.
Other than this being a great fit for him conceptually, he would bring a hell of a lot to the table skill-wise. For one ANY Tarantino movie will indeed be highly stylized, aesthetically pleasing, with trademark QT things, which would make "Luke Cage" one of the most unique CBMs we'd ever see. Imagine with Tarantino's knack for creative action (which I feel is one of his most underrated aspects) what he could do with bullet-proof buff ass Cage. This movie would be an absolute thrill-ride from start to finish
Robert Rodriguez - "The Flash"
Rodriguez, like Tarantino, is a director with a very unique style. He's also a frequent collaborator of Tarantino. The guy is known for his visual style and fun..adventurous ideas.
The Flash can be a very fun character if used properly. And comedic, another aspect Rodriguez isn't foreign to. It would be pretty damn interesting to see what he'd do with The Flash visual effects on screen, looking at what he's done with other movies. He'd certainly put Flash in the wildest and most creative of scenarios. And hey, if WB ever needed or wanted to have a movie that would appeal to all audiences (including kids)...here's your guy.
JJ Abrams - "Green Lantern Corps"
Green Lantern Corps...the INTERGALACTIC police force of the DC universe.
JJ as far as it comes with cinema...between the Star Trek and now Star Wars movies....basically lives in space. Tackling a GL Corps movie would essentially be a walk in the park for him, and he'd probably have a hell of a lot of fun directing it too. Tuned visually to his style, and MAINLY, the biggest contribution : his talent with crafting action sequences. And in a GL movie (which we still haven't had a good live action adaptation of) that's gold.
What would've made it even more of a perfect match is even Chris Pine were actually cast as Hal Jordan
Steven Spielberg - "Black Panther"
Black Panther, the king of Wakanda, the afrofuturistic, most technologically advanced nation of special tribal warriors.
Look Spielberg's the man. Truth be told you could make the case for nearly any comic book character he'd be a good fit for because he's simply that great. He's probably the most complete filmmaker in history. But beyond that, BP I feel is a great character for him to handle. One of the most gritty, serious, action-packed, adventurous, and global heroes Marvel has. When you look at what Spielberg did with
Saving Private Ryan (or really any of his movies) for instance, you can imagine the greatness he'd bring to a Black Panther war flick. Picture Latveria vs Wakanda in a DoomWar adaptation, directed by Spielberg.
And sure, a good amount of this pick is subjective, being that BP is my fav comic character and Spielberg one of my favorite directors ever...but I do also believe this is a perfect match for him. he's handled tribes in the Indiana Jones flicks, he's made great war movies, and so many classic adventure flicks. T'challa comes with all of this wrapped into one.
The Coen Brothers - "Jonah Hex"
If WB for whatever wild reason ever ever decided to for whatever reboot Jonah Hex....these guys could make it make it more than worth watching. The first Jonah Hex was a complete failure critically and financially...but the Coen Brothers? These guys are amazing! Particularly with westerns (see
No Country For Old Men or True Grit.
If I had to guess which comic character they'd choose to make a movie out of...I'd say this guy
Spike Lee - "Jessica Jones'', Miles Morales
If Spike were to take on any CBM, an NY-centered, crime/detective drama would be right up his alley. Which is exactly what Jessica Jones is. Of course Spike's known for address rel="nofollow" target="_blank"ing societal issues such as racism in his movies...a modern (but subtle) take on racism today through the character of Miles Morales could potentially be something special. Of course it'll never happen, but remember....this is simply what would be a perfect match for THESE particular directors.
Martin Scorcese - "The Punisher"
The Punisher is one of the grittiest and most brutal "heroes" in all of comics. Scorcese is probably the GOAT gangster/mafia filmmaker. You add 2 and 2.
Peter Jackson- "Thor: Ragnarok"
Peter Jackson, the king of fantasy (also the guy that doesn't know how to cut anything out of his movies lol) Jackson obviously has handled fantasy characters such as with Thor's mythos in the Lord of the Rings trilogy which was outstanding. Including the cinematography. So what would logically be the perfect CBM match for this man?
Marvel has nailed the Thor CHARACTER itself essentially down to a tee...but they have yet to develop a GREAT or even "really good" thor movie. Peter Jackson would certainly be tha man to do it. Properly.
Ridley Scott - "Martian Manhunter", "Aquaman"
Martian Manhunter is an original Justice League member and one of my favorite comic characters ever. Very weird, very obscure, but very powerful (with a sick name too). He was beamed from Mars to Earth accidentally..and eventually became a protector of it. A genre-flick starring the Manhunter could be something special.
So then when you consdier one of the best genre-transceding directors ever (Ridley Scott), there you have a match. The thing I admire most about Scott is his ability to adapt to different settings/environments, and engage the audience thoroughly in these environments. Which is why I also feel "Aquaman" would be great for him. He effortlessly shifts genres and styles almost on a Kubrick level. for example...going from the horror flick
Alien to the neo-noir
Blade Runner, historical drama
Gladiator, and crime drama
American Gangster. I'd absolutely love to see what he'd do with Atlantis
Brad Bird - S.H.I.E.L.D. SPY FLICK STARRING BLACK WIDOW, HAWKEYE, AND NICK FURY
Brad Bird is remarkable with ensembles, whether it be animation or live action. Seeing what he did with
Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol : how stylistically brilliant, how sharply coordinated the action was, how FUN the movie was...all the while nailing the essentials of a spy movie, I feel he could do wonders with an MCU S.H.I.E.L.D movie starring Widow, Fury, and Hawkeye, Hill, etc. With all those cool characters that are already established and that we've come to know pretty well, the movie would be kick-ass thrilling.
Alright, that's it!!! I appreciate you reading if you stuck it out all the way through, oh and as a bonus, I'd like to ask which great director who hasn't helmed a CBM do you think would make a great match for a Justice League movie?
Let me know what you think down below, LIKE, talk shit, do what you gotta do haha. Let's talk. And again...
THANK YOU