Noah Hawley Is Still Excited About ‘Doctor Doom’ But Isn’t Sure What Marvel Has Planned: “The Phone Hasn’t Rung”

We’re almost a year removed from the massive Disney purchase of Fox becoming official in 2019. Over that time, we’ve seen quite a few changes with how Fox, and its subsidiaries, do business. Projects have been killed, others have been forgotten. And one of those films that seem to have been forgotten is “Doctor Doom,” a film written by Noah Hawley that was set to focus on the famous Marvel villain.

According to a new interview with Deadline, it appears that the status of the unproduced film still seems to be up in the air. At least, in the eyes of Hawley.

READ MORE: Noah Hawley Teases His ‘Star Trek’ Film & How It Might Not Connect To What’s Come Before: “I Have My Own Take”

“The phone hasn’t rung,” he said. “I love the script and what I did with it. Marvel seems to have a plan for everything, it would be great if I fell into that plan. And I haven’t been chasing it, and with ‘Star Trek,’ it complicates it But if the phone rings, I’m in.”

Now, given there hasn’t been any mention of “Doctor Doom” from Kevin Feige or others at Marvel Studios (who now controls the entirety of the Fox/Marvel library), you have to assume that the film is effectively canceled. That being said, you have to applaud Hawley’s persistence and enthusiasm.

But “Doctor Doom” isn’t the only Hawley/Fox project that seems to have been put on the backburner. The filmmaker, who is probably best known for his work with FX on series such as “Fargo” and “Legion,” was set to develop a series at the network focused on the Kurt Vonnegut novel, “Cat’s Cradle.” However, in the case of this potential FX series, Hawley is less optimistic.

READ MORE: ‘Fargo’ Season 4 Trailer: Chris Rock & An All-Star Cast Lead The Next Installment Of Noah Hawley’s Anthology Series

“That one is tough in a post-Disney acquisition age to do what probably is an expensive period Kurt Vonnegut mini-series,” said Hawley. “So right now, it doesn’t seem likely. But I remain committed to try and bring Vonnegut to the screen in a way that feels meaningful. I just don’t know that I can make this one work in this corporate environment.”

Even with these two projects on the shelf, Hawley is still very busy. He’s putting the finishing touches on a new season of “Fargo,” which debuts in April, and will soon begin work on a new “Star Trek” film. So, no matter the status of “Doctor Doom” or “Cat’s Cradle,” it doesn’t seem like the filmmaker is slowing down anytime soon.