Adrien Brody Reveals One Condition for Starring in a Marvel Movie

Adrien Brody is accepting calls from Marvel Studios. In an interview with podcast host Josh Horowitz this week, Brody said that he would be very open to appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — but not just any role. He said he would consider any offers based on what he could bring to the table as an actor and his ability to collaborate with the director. Like others, it sounds like Brody is wary of studio mandates and restrictions, but open-minded about what he could bring to the table. To date, Brody has never appeared in a comic book adaptation, though he has done his fair share of genre fiction.

“Like I said, if I was presented with an opportunity to play an interesting character with a filmmaker that elevated me and gave me space to do something vastly different in that world, it sounds amazing,” Brody said. “You have this wonderful machine [with Marvel]. [They] know all the techniques and tools to stand behind these movies and they’ve done something I think is enormous.”

“People love them. Who wouldn’t want to be part of something beloved?” Brody added. “It would take a tone I related to. It wouldn’t be just to…you know.”

Brody is currently promoting The Brutalist — a biopic about architect and holocaust survivor László Tóth, which is currently in theaters. In online discourse among film buffs, that’s about as far as you could get from a blockbuster franchise like the MCU. However, Brody isn’t above doing a popcorn movie — he starred in the underrated 2010 sequel Predators, and the 2015 historical fantasy Dragon Blade, just to name a few.

Brody nearly made his comic book movie debut in 2008, as he revealed in this interview. He said that he met with director Christopher Nolan about the possibility of playing the Joker in The Dark Knight, but quickly added, Oh no, I wasn’t close. It was a role that I felt very suited to do. Heath did such a remarkable job in that movie. It was indelible. Such beautiful work. Any actor who has a degree of edge would like to delve into a character like that, especially with a filmmaker like Christopher Nolan who brought such a profound vision.”

That might give us a hint about what Brody would want from a comic book movie director, if he were to take such a role. For now, fans can catch him in The Brutalist in many theaters around the U.S. The MCU will be back in theaters next month with Captain America: Brave New World on February 14th.