It’s amazing that the nerdiest of us were once sitting around boom box radios listening to Wall of Voodoo and Devo and debating what superheroes would make great movies and who would play them, feeling that none of these movies would ever happen. And while we stood fast that Clancy Brown would be a great Sabretooth and that they can never make a superhero movie with a character that has a flaming skull for a head, we couldn’t have dreamed that Marvel head Kevin Feige would sit in front of microphones and discuss similar matters as though they were in actual planning stages.
MTV caught up with Feige to discuss post-“Avengers” plans, and he certainly was chatty. “I think what Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction have done with ‘Iron Fist’ lately is exciting. I think ‘Black Panther’ and Wakanda has some amazing potential to be a feature film. ‘Doctor Strange,’ as you’ve mentioned. There are some obscure titles, too, like ‘Guardians of the Galaxy.’ I think they’ve been revamped recently in a fun way in the book.”
Of course, Feige is being cagey as hell. The fake nation of Wakanda was already featured in onscreen documents in “Iron Man 2,” which likely means that the adventures of African champion T’Challa (who single-handedly polices Wakanda) are already in active development. ‘Strange’ has already involved writers, while “Iron Fist” has been a potential on-screen hero for years, beginning with a small campaign by Ray Park to nab the role in the early ’00’s. This is the first we’re hearing about a ‘Guardians’ adaptation, though, as the series was generally received as generic space-bound superheroics it, as a film, would require a massive budget Marvel could never secure.
When asked about a “SHIELD” movie revolving around the government agency on the fringes of the “Iron Man” and “Thor” films and run by Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, Feige was particularly loquacious. “I think the answer is yes. I think S.H.I.E.L.D. could be it’s own franchise. I think, frankly, “The Avengers” is going to be told from that point of view more so than any of the other films at that point, so we’re going to get an inside look [at how S.H.I.E.L.D.] operates.” This is likely an admission that “SHIELD” might be developed alongside “Avengers” as a companion piece, a lower-budgeted spy movie that allows Samuel L. Jackson to indulge his superheroic desires while giving juicy roles in which Marvel b-and c-teamers can shine. Stay tuned for more Kevin Feige speculation from our treehouse, as we make our case that only Christian Slater should play Cannonball and that Renny Harlin would make a rad Savage Land movie while drinking Ecto Coolers and Bartles And James stolen from our dad’s cooler.
