Iconic Filmmakers Who Almost Directed Superhero Movies

Several notable names have directed modern superhero movies. However, by and large, franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe prefer to use up-and-coming filmmakers, like Jon Watts or Destin Daniel Cretton, to helm their major projects. These directors can end up producing quality productions, even quite frequently, but their stamp on the production is often less distinctive than more auteur-driven superhero movies of old like Ang Lee's "Hulk" or the Tim Burton "Batman" titles. Just because more famous and immediately recognizable filmmakers aren't very common in the realm of modern superhero movies, though, doesn't mean such figures haven't been approached to direct them.

Over the years, many unforgettable directors ranging from James Cameron to Steven Spielberg to Edgar Wright have been approached and even temporarily signed on to helm superhero flicks. For a variety of reasons, though, these mergings never came to pass. Though we'll never see these movies on our DVD shelves or in movie theaters, it can still be enticing to contemplate what would have happened if these iconic filmmakers had ended up directing them.

Over the years, Guillermo del Toro has had his name floated around for many different prospective superhero properties. Why wouldn't he? Not only is he a fan-favorite filmmaker through movies like "The Shape of Water," but he's crushed prior superhero-movie-directing gigs with films like "Hellboy" and "Blade II." It's understandable why he would be considered for other superhero fare, especially for flicks like "Thor," which intersects with the fantasy genre.

Del Toro came quite close to directing 2011's "Thor." These discussions emerged when del Toro was hot off "Pan's Labyrinth," making him an understandably desired commodity by Marvel. However, he would eventually pass on the project, with del Toro reflecting years later to Collider that he was attracted to doing "a fantastical version" of classical Norse mythology, but that "Thor" and other superhero movie opportunities like "The Wolverine" eventually fell off his radar because "I'm not a superhero guy."  That does fit with even the superhero projects del Toro has helmed. Vampire Blade and son of Satan Hellboy are much more like classic monsters than perfect-looking, God-like Thors. This rationale makes it clear why Guillermo del Toro typically doesn't engage with such projects. 

When Marvel Studios announced its first slate of titles, one curious production was "Ant-Man," hailing from director Edgar Wright. Fresh off "Shaun of the Dead," Wright had already established himself as a comedic filmmaker with a distinctive voice worth paying attention to. It's no wonder Marvel Studios wanted to align themselves with his work, especially when it came to a C-list character like Ant-Man. This plucky superhero would need to have a captivating aesthetic if he was going to become the next Spider-Man or Batman at movie theaters.

While many iconic filmmakers only briefly flirted with directing a superhero movie before jettisoning the project, Wright stayed on "Ant-Man" for nearly a decade. Penning new drafts while he worked on other films like "The World's End," Marvel Studios eventually pushed "Ant-Man" forward for a July 2015 release date. Wright began casting the film with actors like Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas, and his regular cinematographer Bill Pope was hired to lens the project. Two months before filming began, though, Edgar Wright departed the project, with the filmmaker later clarifying that Marvel's desire to have a separate screenwriter pen a draft of the script and the studio's lack of interest in his creative vision led to him abandoning "Ant-Man." All those years of being attached to "Ant-Man" couldn't lead to Edgar Wright's take on the tiny superhero becoming a reality.

With their work together on "The Fountain," Hugh Jackman and Darren Aronofsky developed a bond that would see the duo attempt to reunite for further projects over the subsequent years. The most high-profile of these instances came with "The Wolverine." Though the final project was helmed by James Mangold, Aronofsky was the first director to be attached to the production. With Aronofsky coming fresh off his work on "Black Swan," hiring this auteur was certainly one way to indicate that "The Wolverine" wouldn't be a simple rehash of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

Jackman's comments on this version of "The Wolverine" indicated that, much like the final product, it would not be beholden to the aesthetic of the first solo "Wolverine" outing. He also expressed excitement over the prospect of delving into the darker underbelly of his mutant character, mirroring the sort of grim character studies Aronofsky had delivered with projects like "The Wrestler." At the start of March 2011, though, the reunion was dashed, with Aronofsky stepping down from the project due to his worries about being away from his family for so long during principal photography. Though "The Wolverine" would go on under another director, a reunion between Jackman and Aronofsky has yet to come to fruition. 

Seth Rogen's take on "The Green Hornet" had a prolific filmmaker in line to not only direct but also play the role of Kato. That honor was set to go to Stephen Chow, the last filmmaker anyone would've expected to direct a Seth Rogen flick.

But that fell apart once Chow stepped down from directorial duties in 2008. Though initially remaining on the project to perform the part of Kato, he would also vacate that role eventually, paving the way for Jay Chou to take on the character instead. As for the directorial duties, Michel Gondry eventually took over Rogen's take on the Green Hornet character. While Chow cited "creative differences," co-writer Evan Goldberg has said that Chow departed the project because he needed "utter control" over the entire movie. Though his major foray into American blockbusters fizzled, Chow's career hasn't suffered since. After leaving the role of Kato, he returned to making films for the Chinese market, including the enormously successful 2016 film "The Mermaid." He may never have gotten the chance to direct an American superhero movie blockbuster, but clearly, Chow has fared just fine.

After the incredible box office success of "X2: X-Men United," it was inevitable that another "X-Men" movie would get produced. Initially, Bryan Singer, the director of the first two installments of this series, was onboard to helm the finale of this trilogy. But once Singer left to direct "Superman Returns," a vacancy opened up. Someone else was going to have to direct this new mutant adventure. A slew of names would be drawn up before eventually Brett Ratner was called upon to handle "The Last Stand."

Among those filmmakers considered was future DC Extended Universe staple Zack Snyder. It's not hard to see why, given that in the early aughts Snyder was hot off directing several high-profile commercials, as well as the 2004 "Dawn of the Dead" remake. Though he expressed interest in the project, Snyder passed on directing the third "X-Men" and instead made his blockbuster debut with "300" in 2007. Snyder would also eventually get his superhero movie fix with "Watchmen" and various DC Extended Universe titles.

The world almost got a live-action "Justice League" blockbuster nearly a decade before the 2017 "Justice League" movie. The proposed project was "Justice League: Mortal," and would've been helmed by "Mad Max: Fury Road" director George Miller. The production didn't just stay as a script on a shelf, it got far enough along to even have a cast. Costume tests were done, location scouting occurred in Australia ... "Justice League: Mortal" was racing toward existence with a projected summer 2009 debut. In retrospective interviews, actors in the cast like Jay Baruchel have largely praised Miller's unique and passionate vision for this expansive epic.

Unfortunately, the Writer's Guild of America strike at the end of 2007 put a movie that had been previously moving like lightning on pause. Even once the strike was over, problems kept plaguing the production. The kiss of death came with "The Dark Knight" in July 2008. The mammoth box office success of that film caused Warner Bros. to put all DC Comics adaptations in the pipeline on pause. Suddenly, an extravagant hyper-stylized comic book movie, one with a different film incarnation of Batman to boot, was no longer a top priority for the studio. With that, Miller's ambitious plans for a superhero movie were dashed and it would take years before moviegoers could see DC Comics legends uniting on the big screen.