Five Directors for Captain Marvel 2

Marvel Studios is looking for a director to helm the upcoming Captain Marvel sequel. We have a few suggestions.

When Marvel announced their Phase 4 line up at Comic-Con, a few notable and assumed films were absent: sequels to Black Panther, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and the recent smash hit, Captain Marvel. Then it became clear these characters would be in Phase 5 and we would get announcements later. Since then Black Panther 2 has been slated for release on May 6, 2022; Peyton Reed is returning for a third Ant-Man film, and now development is officially moving forward on Captain Marvel 2 with a planned release date for 2022 (I imagine they will use that July 29, 2022 release date for it).

It was revealed that original directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck would not return to helm the sequel, but they still seem to be on good terms with Marvel and are looking to direct an upcoming Disney+ series (She-Hulk? Moon Knight? Hawkeye?). While this did come as a slight shock, it also wasn’t, since not much word had been given on them being secured for a sequel right away.

We do have some details on Captain Marvel 2. The film will move the setting up from the 1990s to the present day MCU, and that Megan McDonnell will write the screenplay. Megan McDonnell is one of the writers on the upcoming WandaVision series for Disney+, which is set to introduce a grown-up version of Captain Marvel‘s Monica Rambeau (here played by Teyonah Parris). That means that there is a strong chance we will see a grown-up Monica Rambeau here with her aunt Carol, possibly working for the space organization S.W.O.R.D. (Sentient World Observation and Response Department), the intergalactic counterpoint to S.H.I.E.L.D. Audiences already may have seen a glimpse of S.W.O.R.D. at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming, as the ship that Nick Fury is aboard with all the Skrulls looks a lot like a S.W.O.R.D. base from the comics.

Marvel appears to be looking for a woman director to take the helm of the Captain Marvel sequel (which they should), so we have five names that Marvel should consider for Captain Marvel 2.

Lorene Scafaria

Lorene Scafaria actually met with Marvel on directing the first Captain Marvel, so there is still a chance she is on Marvel’s radar. Peyton Reed meets to direct Guardians of the Galaxy but was chosen for Ant-Man. Even original Captain Marvel directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden originally met with Marvel to helm Guardians of the Galaxy. Once you are on Marvel’s radar, you tend to stay on their radar. Her films walk a fine line between comedic and dramatic and deal with complicated relationships, notably among women, which could play a part in the Captain Marvel sequel.

One would have to wonder if Scafaria wants to step into the Captain Marvel universe; if she would want to follow what other filmmakers already developed and created for a character she was also looking to craft. Also after the huge success of Hustlers, Scafaria is much more in demand and could probably get a meeting for any franchise she wants. Or she could use the current clout she has to get another original film made, and honestly, we would be better for it. She is a great voice and anything she makes is worth checking out.

Gina Prince-Bythewood

Gina Prince-Bythewood has a history of working with comic book adaptations. She directed the pilot episode of Marvel and Freeform’s Cloak and Dagger and spent two years working on the Sony and Marvel adaptation Silver and Black, based around Silver Sable and Black Cat. That film was canceled and split into two separate films based around each character, and no word has been made on if Prince-Bythewood would stay on board to helm both or either projects.

Her previous films Love & Basketball, Secret Life of Bees, and Beyond the Lights show a talented filmmaker that is great at handling smaller character moments, which has been the key to Marvel’s success: developing their characters and making them well-rounded individuals. Plus allowing her to play with a big cosmic tapestry and seeing how that pairs with her more naturalistic style is an interesting idea that would create for a unique Marvel film.

Reed Morano

Reed Morano got her start as a cinematographer working on films like Frozen River, Kill Your Darlings, and The Skeleton Twins. She then transitioned into directing, having contributed two episodes for hit television series like Halt and Catch Fire and Billions, and is both a director and executive producer on The Handmaid’s Tale. She made her directorial debuted in 2015 with Meadowland and followed it up the post-apocalyptic I Think We’re Alone and the upcoming spy thriller The Rhythm Section, produced by the James Bond rights holders Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.

Her background shows a filmmaker with a sharp visual eye. A director who has a history with cinematography may just be what both a Captain Marvel sequel and the MCU needs. Often Marvel is criticized for the cinematic language in which their films are shot, how they often lack imagination. Captain Marvel was heavily criticized for what was described as dirty looking cinematography, a lot of bland colors. Regardless of if this is true, one can’t argue that bringing in a director like Morano, one who has helped craft some of the most visually vibrant television in the past decade, along with some great films, wouldn’t be a much-needed boost to the sequel.

Nia DaCosta

Nia DeCosta burst onto the screen last year when her debut film, Little Woods, wowed critics at the Tribeca Film Festival. She then secured a job directing the upcoming remake of Candyman for producer Jordan Peele, due out later this year.

Little Woods featured Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie in the MCU) in the lead role. Tessa Thompson and Brie Larson appear to be pretty good friends on social media, and there could be room for Valkyrie to have a presence in the film sequel, so a director who has previously worked with her and is a hot rising talent in the industry is a catch for Marvel.

Numa Perrier

Numa Perrier got her start as a co-founder of digital media network Black&Sexy TV. Her first film, Jezebel, was a huge hit when it premiered last year at SXSW. It sold out all three nights it aired, and due to popular demand they added a fourth showing. The film received positive reviews but it appears as of this moment, Numa Perrier has not secured any major work, which is a shame because she appears to be a very talented filmmaker with a creative voice that more people should hear.

A lot of talk has been made about the cynical nature of how studios tend to take a director known for one small indie film and then throw them into the world of big-budget filmmaking. How this is done as a way to hire a director without any clout they can control. While there is some slight truth to this for sure, it mainly only happens for male directors. Marc Webb went from (500) Days of Summer to The Amazing Spider-Man. Colin Trevorrow made Saftey Not Guaranteed and then landed Jurassic World. Jordan Vogt-Roberts made one film in The Kings of Summer and was thrown into Kong: Skull Island. Yet this trend doesn’t really happen for women directors, who often have to fight twice as hard.

Also, securing a Marvel film is beneficial to a young filmmaker because it does raise their clout in the industry. Directing a Marvel film, right now one of the only sure-fire guaranteed hits, can help a filmmaker gain industry clout that otherwise might not have been afforded to them to make smaller, more personal pictures. Taika Waititi went from a director of New Zealand comedies only a few people saw to directing Thor: Ragnarok, and that secured him the ability to make Jojo Rabbit, which is nominated for Best Picture. Women filmmakers face a particular struggle that if they have one box-office disappointment they have a much more difficult time coming back from said failure than their male peers. Women filmmakers always have to prove themselves, yet men don’t. So why not give Numa Perrier, an incredibly talented director with so much potential, the resources of the biggest film studio in the world where she can infuse her own creative voice into the film (like how James Gunn did with Guardians of the Galaxy or Ryan Coogler with Black Panther), and allow that message and vision to reach the widest possible audience?

What do you think? Who do you want to see direct Captain Marvel 2? What do you want to see in a sequel? Let us know in the comments below.