You may not agree with every decision Kevin Fiege makes as head of Marvel Studios, but for the most part he’s got an excellent track record. Many questioned the inexperienced Jon Favreau and Kenneth Branaugh (for blockbusters at least) helming “Iron Man” and “Thor” respectively. Or, Joe “I’m almost in movie jail” Johnston taking the reigns of “Captain America: The First Avenger.” Needless to say, critics, audiences and the box office validated all of those decisions. And for future Marvel films, Feige and his team have continued to make unconventional choices.
“The Avengers” director Joss Whedon didn’t show much of a cinematic eye with “Firefly” (sorry Browncoats, truth hurt sometimes), but what has been screened so far is light years ahead of that TV adaptation. Former screenwriting bad boy Shane Black wowed the industry with his directing debut “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” but only Marvel gave him another gig with “Iron Man 3” (an astounding six years later). Now, with “Thor” and “Captain America” sequels on the way, Fiege and his team appear to be making more intriguing choices.
According to Deadline, Marvel is leaning toward Patty Jenkins to helm “Thor 2.” Now, granted, this could be a sly move by Jenkins’ agent to make sure her client snags the highly lucrative gig (“Game of Thrones” helmer Brian Kirk has also been mentioned for the gig), but Marvel might be making the right move with the “Monster” helmer. Jenkins was just nominated for an Emmy for her work directing the pilot of “The Killing” (don’t blame her for the finale) and there is no shame in losing to Martin Scorsese.
Fiege would still be taking a big chance on Jenkins if she made the cut. Unlike any of the other Marvel helmers so far, her overall resume is a bit bare. She has just one movie to her credit and has directed just “The Killing” pilot, a few “Entourge” and “Arrested Development” episodes. Helping launch a hit AMC TV series and guiding an Oscar-winning performance (Charlize Theron) means a lot, but there isn’t much there since “Monster” debuted eight years ago. Still, it would be great to see Fiege shake it up and give a woman a shot at directing a Marvel film. Perhaps we’re just disappointed it’s not Kathryn Bieglow.
A decision will have to come soon as “Thor” is already slotted for a July 26 release date which means pre-production will need to begin at the beginning of next year.
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