Zombies have been a hot property in Hollywood for quite some time. Surpassing even the MCU in durability. But will the two genres actually co-exist? It will, if British director Ben Wheatley has any say on proceedings.
The filmmaker has been out on the press circuit promoting his latest title Free Fire. Starring Brie Larson, Armie Hammer and Cillian Murphy, the action comedy has been well received by most critics and he is looking to use that success to start his own take on the Marvel world.
The 45-year old helmed the 2015 installment High-Rise with Tom Hiddleston and although that fared less well, he has got a taste for the big studio blockbuster. Speaking with Little White Lies this week, Wheatley's idea could be a game changer for the studio should they give him the green light.
A Sub-Genre Within A Crossover: Could Marvel Zombies Genuinely Take A Chunk Out Of The Market?
The comics were universally popular when they spawned something of a cult following for those that enjoy the animated editions. But attempting to shoehorn that into the clean cut and polished MCU appears almost impossible. Quizzed about participating with Marvel at any point in his career, he didn't require too much prompting to bring up his pet project.
"I dunno," he replied. "I don't really know how those things work. Marvel Zombies hasn't been done which is what I'm interested in. 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."
Earning his start with the 2009 domestic feature Down Terrace, what does Wheatley envisage for himself now he is considered part of the "mainstream"? Are larger scale movies now his cup of tea?
"I think so," he remarked. "But if I can do smaller scale stuff and if it makes sense to then I will, because the actual experience of making A Field of England was as fun as making High-Rise or Free Fire."
Wheatley A Jack of All Trades For Film Buff
Wheatley won't be holding his breath whether Marvel want to come to the table with his Zombies idea. From video game remakes to DC installments - the director has plenty on his plate as he switches from one bold project to the next.
"Oh, tonnes of stuff," he said in regards to his schedule. "Some comedy and about three sci-fi/fantasy films – we’ve got a script which is an adaptation of Gauntlet, the ’80s video game. And we’ve been trying to do a rom-com for a long time now... I’m working on Hard Boiled which is a Frank Miller adaptation. Then Wages of Fear, which we’ve just finished the script on so that’s ready to go. At any given time we’ll usually have six or seven scripts on the go, but they’ll be first drafts and they’ll go in the drawer and then you’ll come back to them."
Source: Little White Lies
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