Whilst it is a shame that we never got to see Edgar Wright’s vision for Ant-Man, the character would likely have never gotten two sequels if it had followed his original storyline. We already discussed why the MCU was better off without Wright’s version of the character and Peyton Reed did a fine job as his successor.
However, the MCU has changed a great deal since 2015; it’s bigger and Marvel Studios are giving their directors more creative freedom with their projects. Although that hasn’t always worked out in their favor. And in the time since the first Ant-Man, Edgar and Kevin Feige have reconnected, so there’s always a chance the director could step back into the fray. That being said, we do think there are a few upcoming projects that could do with a little bit of Wright’s flair.
Young Avengers
Alright, so considering how the director likes to work, this may not seem like the best choice. But if Sam Raimi can play nice with the MCU heads, so can Edgar Wright. This would be the perfect lighter and funnier, action-driven adventure for Wright to take the helm on. It’s right up his street for the kind of wacky blockbuster action with a blend of witty humor that the Shaun of the Dead director has come to be known for.
The movie could be the perfect bridge between The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars. It could follow the younger heroes of the MCU as they band together to fill the roles of their adult counterparts before being brought into the Secret Wars.
Midnight Sons
A team-up movie for the supernatural superheroes. What’s not to love about this concept? Edgar Wright’s most recent movie, Last Night in Soho, was a supernatural thriller, so maybe he could bring a little bit of that spooky energy to this film. The heroes in this team are of a smaller league compared to the Avengers and their powers are more interesting and unique, so it’s definitely something more suited to a director of Wright’s specific skills. We’d love to see how he would present Ghost Rider’s penance stare. Aside from Johnny Blaze, the line up often includes Blade, Morbius and Hannibal King. Maybe we could finally get the chance to hear Morbius say his iconic line “It’s Morbin’ time!”
Captain Britain
We all know Edgar Wright prefers to do standalone films with little to no connection to other properties. That was the reason he walked from Ant-Man way back in 2015. However, if he were to write and direct a hero that doesn’t have too much involvement with the rest of the MCU, it could be possible to find a nice compromise. Also Wright is one of the best British directors right now, so it makes sense to have him direct a film called Captain Britain. If not, he could direct a solo film based on the origins of Captain Carter with Hayley Atwell as the lead.
Rumors also suggest that Henry Cavill could be eyeing up the role of Captain Britain. It would be great to see the actor working with Wright on a project as the two have never worked together before. Although the pair did take a selfie together with David Walliams at the Avatar 2 premiere.
X-Men
Lending his signature fast-paced and kinetic style to the X-Men franchise could be just what it needs to make it stand out against the original movies, which are seen as almost untouchable by many fans. The X-Men movie would have a lot to live up to and the usual Marvel formula just won’t do for these beloved characters. If Marvel really wants to do these heroes right, they’ll need to pull something out of the hat that audiences have never seen before. Maybe they need Edgar Wright.
Armor Wars
Very few details have come out about this film yet, although it’s been confirmed, there currently is no director or creative team attached to the project. Since Feige and Wright have made up, we don’t see why he can’t be given another shot at a Marvel movie such as this. Plus, it’s a storyline from a classic ’80s comic run, something that a young Edgar would have most likely read and enjoyed as a younger man. Fans have been waiting for Rhodes to get a solo movie for years, so Marvel will need a good writer and director to give the fans something to truly be hyped for.
Spider-Man 4
Marvel needs to take Spider-Man in a wildly different direction for his fourth outing in the MCU. No more cosmic battles or fighting to save the world. It should focus on the street-level crime in New York that Peter Parker has to fight whilst balancing his college life. Whilst there are plenty of directors that could do it, it would be the perfect opportunity for Edgar Wright to step back into Marvel Studios and take the helm. After all, the director has made it clear how he prefers to focus on the more street level heroes such as Ant-Man.
The film only needs to loosely connect to the rest of the MCU so Wright can take a lot of creative liberties with the story and not worry too much about the wider universe. It would be great to see a Spider-Man film in the same style as Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Wright has shown his talent for directing comic book action and Spider-Man seems like the best place for him to display that talent.
Thor 5
Listen, the Thor franchise has suffered a lot from bad direction recently, it sounds crazy to give another director complete creative control over a film when the last one messed up so badly. But before Waititi fumbled the fourth Thor, he actually managed to save the franchise with Thor Ragnarok, which took the character in a completely new direction and just made Chris Hemsworth’s character cool again.
If Marvel were to take the chance again, Wright could make a stellar fifth film to the franchise and bring the character back into relevance. Whilst Thor 5 would likely be the last Thor film, Wright would be able to send him out with a bang.
X-Force
There’s one thing Wright doesn’t get enough credit for — and that’s his slapstick violence. The director’s been known for having graphic depictions of violence presented in creative ways that almost make it seem funny. Think of the Hot Fuzz shoot out or Simon Pegg and Nick Frost beating zombies with pool cues while “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen is playing in the background. He’s always been great at incorporating hyper-violence and comedy.
That makes him the perfect candidate to direct a movie starring Deadpool. It would honestly be a match made in heaven. If an X-Force movie were to happen, it would give Wright the chance to return to the over-the-top comedy violence of the Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy while Ryan Reynolds does what he does best: give the audience some witty one-liners. It sounds like a dream movie.
Scarlet Witch
We’d love to see Elizabeth Olsen finally get a solo movie as Wanda Maximoff and Wright should be the one to do it. The film could give us a proper House of M adaptation or do something completely new. Either way, it would be great to see more of Wanda’s chaos magic in her own movie.
Wright’s creative vision could benefit the aesthetics of the movie greatly. How he chooses to show chaos magic could make it stand out amongst the rest of Marvel’s sub-par effects. Reports suggested that Wright’s visualization of the Ant-Man shrinking effect was very cool. How he presents things visually always makes his films stand out, so if Wright were to direct, this film could be one of the most visually striking films in the MCU since Thor Ragnarok.
Black Widow 2
Whilst it’s not confirmed we’ll be getting a Black Widow 2, if we did, it would likely focus on Yelena. But imagine if the sequel did go back to Natasha Romanoff, the writers would be able to keep the story mostly independent of the larger MCU due to the character being, you know… dead in the main timeline. This would give Wright the perfect opportunity to stretch his creative wings and take the character in a direction he sees fit. The story doesn’t necessarily have to be a prequel like the first one, it could be an alternate version of Natasha thus giving Wright the perfect opportunity to create a one-off superhero movie.
Wright is known for his fast-paced action with quick cuts and montages. This could fit in well with an action spy-thriller. Black Widow has yet to have some of her best comic storylines put to screen, so it would be great to give the character another shot with a great director at the wheel.
World War Hulk
Whilst this may seem like it’s out of Wright’s usual areas of expertise, the director has admitted that it was The Hulk TV show back in the ’70s that started his fanboy obsession with Marvel comics. It’s clear that he has a passion for the character and that’s one of the most important elements when it comes to writing comic book movies.
Whilst it would rely on Wright playing nice with the studio heads, times have changed and people change. All things considered, the Hulk was one of Wright’s childhood heroes and a movie with such a crazy concept could do with a little bit of the Director’s flair.
Basically, Edgar Wright needs to direct a superhero movie
In his entire filmography, he’s never actually directed a superhero movie (Scott Pilgrim doesn’t count) despite him being a massive nerd. It’s shocking that Wright has never got the chance to bring his unique visual style into something like the MCU. Whether or not he really wants to at this point remains to be seen, but he’s admitted that there’s no animosity between him and Marvel Studios, so it’s safe to say that the door will be open for him if he so desires.