‘Free Fire’ Director Reportedly in Talks to Direct Marvel Film

The Marvel universe is a massive playground full of an almost endless amount of compelling characters, with audiences regularly wondering who could be next to get a live-action adaptation. While the specific property is currently unknown, recent reports hint at Free Fire and High-Rise director Ben Wheatley being in talks to adapt a Marvel property for a film.

When discussing working with Wheatley on the Adam Buxton Podcast, comedian Bob Mortimer recalled the project hitting a snag, explaining, “We were about to start that but then Ben got offered one of the big Marvel films, so it weren’t for us to say, ‘You ain’t doing that Ben.’”

Mortimer also didn’t specify whether Wheatley was speaking with Marvel Studios, 20th Century Fox, or Sony Pictures, so it’s possible that virtually any film could be on the table. The vagueness of the comments could also mean Wheatley was offered a film, but turned it down.

In recent years, one of the strategies of Marvel Studios is to tap emerging directors from a variety of different genres who can lend their sensibilities to the bigger Marvel sandbox. Thor: Ragnarok‘s Taika Waititi, Spider-Man: Homecoming‘s Jon Watts, and Guardians of the Galaxy‘s James Gunn all showed their talents on a small scale before delivering audiences some of Marvel’s biggest hits in recent years.

In addition to Free Fire and High-Rise, Wheatley’s Sightseers, Kill List, and A Field in England have shown audiences what he can accomplish with nontraditional genre fare, showing off a wide variety of skills that would be essential for a Marvel filmmaker. High-Rise also starred Tom Hiddleston, one of Marvel’s biggest stars, so it’s possible that connection could have helped open the door for the director.

The filmmaker has previously mentioned the Marvel property he’d most like to see come to life, which, ironically, involves the living undead.

“Marvel Zombies hasn’t been done which is what I’m interested in,” Wheatley previously shared with Little White Lies. “Maybe that’s a bit too niche. Marvel’s interesting in that it’s kind of a hybrid of cinema and television. A very, very expensive TV show that you buy a pass for every three months.”

It’s unclear if Marvel Zombies would potentially be the property Wheatley is in talks to develop, though the astounding success of Marvel films could result in a studio getting more ambitious and tackling darker subject matter, making Wheatley the perfect choice for such a project. The success of both The Walking Dead‘s zombie drama and R-rated superhero films like Logan and Deadpool could culminate in Wheatley tackling such a project.

Stay tuned for potential details on the project as they develop.

Do you think the filmmaker would do well with a Marvel film? Let us know in the comments below!

[H/T The Playlist]