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Spielberg or othe Big director for a super hero film?

Trek4Ever

Fleet Captain
Fleet Captain
Now that Raimi is off the Spider-Man franchise and Sony is looking for a new director (most likely the winner will be a hack in the vein of Bret Ratner) to take over. One A-List director that could've done future films is of course James Cameron being that at one time he was going to do Spider-Man.

While that is highly unlikely, it got me to thinking what other high profile directors would be a good match for a super hero film?

Often, it's the super hero film that makes a director an A-lister like Richard Donner, Bryan Singer, Sam Raimi and Chris Nolan.Budgets aside is it feasible to offer a super hero film to an A-lister who wouldn't have that much creative control? The closest example I could think of was Singer when he was handed Superman Returns.

I thought of Spielberg for obvious reasons and wonder what character he would be interested in. For that matter what about George Lucas (forget that I just remembered Howard the Duck! :lol:), or Peter Jackson?
 
The EW article said Michael Bay is interested in helming Spider-Man. :shifty:
 
^It also said Marc Webber and Gary Ross have expressed interest. Webber is the director of the acclaimed (500) Days of Summer and Ross is the director of such acclaimed movies like Pleasantville and Seabiscuit. Ross also did a pass at the Spidey 4 script while Raimi was attached as director.

David Fincher would be interesting, and so would Cameron, but I'm more interested in seeing someone like Webber or Ross take the reigns.
 
I always thought Superman would have been right up Spielberg's alley, although I dunno about Peter Jackson but with WETA FX at his disposal it would look great visually, especially if Darkseid was in the mix

i dunno if Kick-Ass is best form of reference and curious to see how that turns out, he's not an A List director, but what about Mathew Vaughn for NuSpiderman

but yea imagine the Avatar tech with a Spiderman movie
 
Spielberg tends to overdo fantasy movies. Hook and Young Sherlock Holmes (that was Spielberg wasn't it?) But he's hit or miss with them really.

If he does a superhero movie like he did Indy 1 and 3 then it's great. If he does them like Indy 2 or 4 then it's a bit of a mess.
 
I actually enjoyed Temple of Doom alot. Crystal Skulls, not so much. And maybe its about time a property like Superman needs a bit overdoing and not grounding to realism. Why not blend War of the Worlds and Superman together. It could work right?
 
Not really up there with those guys...I think Brad Bird would be great for directing a Superman movie...I liked the Incredibles alot and maybe he could do something fresh with a Superman movie.
 
I think Spielberg could and should make a great Superman movie.

David Fincher or probably Ridley Scott would make a decent Batman movie - though I'm very happy with Chris Nolan and would rather he remained.

Peter Jackson and James Cameron can do little wrong in my view and I'd be very excited to see what they did with the genre.

I don't really fancy a Michael Bay Spider-man - or indeed any superhero movie he'd make. if John McTiernan were to return to movie making and do a superhero movie, I'd be quite pleased.

By and large, though, the best superhero movies have come from underdogs. Sam Raimi was really a cult director when he made Spider-man. Both Bryan Singer and Chris Nolan were best known as indie crime-movie directors when signed for X-Men and Batman respectively. Jon Favreau had nothing like Iron Man on his CV but made one of the best superhero movies of all time.

Whereas the Ang Lee Hulk or the Joel Shumacher Batman movies (and even the Burton ones) were disappointments.

So while there are exceptions to the rule - Tim Story anyone? - I think the best superhero movies come from directors who have something to prove and something of a passion for the particular character and story. That's probably the way to go with the next Spider-man, Superman, etc.
 
For that matter what about George Lucas (forget that I just remembered Howard the Duck! :lol:), or Peter Jackson?


To be fair, Lucas did not actually write or direct HOWARD THE DUCK. He just produced it.

Quentin Tarantino once commented that if he ever did a superhero movie, he'd make up his own superhero, so he wouldn't have to worry about fanboys upset over changes to the character.

And, after watching THE FRIGHTENERS, I'm convinced Peter Jackson could do a great SPECTRE movie . . . .
 
I would love a Tarentino superhero film.

"War of the Worlds" and Superman have already mixed in an "Elseworlds" book - and yeah, that could be kind of cool. It was 1930's Superman, who couldn't yet fly, and was a bit more vulnerable.
 
I don't expect anyone to agree with me, but I think Michael Bay would be the ideal candidate for Superman. His flair for kinetic action scenes and Rockwellian imagery make him perfect, IMHO.

Peter Jackson would be a good fit on Doom Patrol.

I'd love to see a Spielberg Green Lantern.

I suppose it'd be a cop out to say a James Cameron Alien Vs Predator... but it gets my vote anyway.
 
Kevin Smith? I know this may sound silly and he'd never do it but I'd like to see what Eastwood could do with any superhero movie.
 
Spielberg tends to overdo fantasy movies. Hook and Young Sherlock Holmes (that was Spielberg wasn't it?)
Spielberg produced Young Sherlock Holmes, but he didn't direct it (Barry Levinson did).

There are plenty of big name directors I'd love to see take on superhero projects. For example, Spielberg, Jackson, and Zemeckis would all be great picks for Superman and/or the Fantastic Four, and Tim Burton would be perfect for the Doom Patrol, and James Cameron for the Justice League. But A-list directors are very expensive, they demand creative control, and there's a hell of a lot of competition for their services. And if a lot of films are being made in a given genre you'll often find that most A-list directors don't want to run with the crowd.
 
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I think Spielberg could and should make a great Superman movie.

David Fincher or probably Ridley Scott would make a decent Batman movie - though I'm very happy with Chris Nolan and would rather he remained.

Peter Jackson and James Cameron can do little wrong in my view and I'd be very excited to see what they did with the genre.

I don't really fancy a Michael Bay Spider-man - or indeed any superhero movie he'd make. if John McTiernan were to return to movie making and do a superhero movie, I'd be quite pleased.

By and large, though, the best superhero movies have come from underdogs. Sam Raimi was really a cult director when he made Spider-man. Both Bryan Singer and Chris Nolan were best known as indie crime-movie directors when signed for X-Men and Batman respectively. Jon Favreau had nothing like Iron Man on his CV but made one of the best superhero movies of all time.

Whereas the Ang Lee Hulk or the Joel Shumacher Batman movies (and even the Burton ones) were disappointments.

So while there are exceptions to the rule - Tim Story anyone? - I think the best superhero movies come from directors who have something to prove and something of a passion for the particular character and story. That's probably the way to go with the next Spider-man, Superman, etc.
I agree with you on spielberg making an superman movie,it would be great but i also think that george lucus could make an superman movie good too, and i always wanted JJ abrams to take on an superman movie on as well. I honestly think that JJ can give the man of steel an fresh new look and start, just like he did with star trek.
 
I think Spielberg could and should make a great Superman movie.

David Fincher or probably Ridley Scott would make a decent Batman movie - though I'm very happy with Chris Nolan and would rather he remained.

Peter Jackson and James Cameron can do little wrong in my view and I'd be very excited to see what they did with the genre.

I don't really fancy a Michael Bay Spider-man - or indeed any superhero movie he'd make. if John McTiernan were to return to movie making and do a superhero movie, I'd be quite pleased.

By and large, though, the best superhero movies have come from underdogs. Sam Raimi was really a cult director when he made Spider-man. Both Bryan Singer and Chris Nolan were best known as indie crime-movie directors when signed for X-Men and Batman respectively. Jon Favreau had nothing like Iron Man on his CV but made one of the best superhero movies of all time.

Whereas the Ang Lee Hulk or the Joel Shumacher Batman movies (and even the Burton ones) were disappointments.

So while there are exceptions to the rule - Tim Story anyone? - I think the best superhero movies come from directors who have something to prove and something of a passion for the particular character and story. That's probably the way to go with the next Spider-man, Superman, etc.
I agree with you on spielberg making an superman movie,it would be great but i also think that george lucus could make an superman movie good too, and i always wanted JJ abrams to take on an superman movie on as well. I honestly think that JJ can give the man of steel an fresh new look and start, just like he did with star trek.

JJ Abrams DID write a draft of Superman and was attached for a while before they gave it to Singer. The script leaked and a crapstorm of epic proportions ensued.

http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=13350
 
I remember that in Catch Me If You Can there are references to the Flash (Barry Allen was used as an alias by the main character). I don't know who wrote the script but I do wonder if Spielberg has an interest in the Scarlet Speedster.
 
I don't know. I think that George Lucas would make a great Superman movie...as long as he's not allowed to write the screenplay.

For character development...SR almost got it perfect. Supes as a sort of God to everyone but he's also Clark Kent. Exploring that duality would appease the realist crowd while big bang up action scenes would appease the mindless summer crowd. What director can do both well?
 
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