Lulu Wang (‘The Farewell’) took part in a filmmakers round table hosted by The Hollywood Reporter, along with Todd Phillips (‘Joker’), Noah Baumbach (‘Marriage Story’), Fernando Meirelles (‘The Two Popes’), Greta Gerwig (‘Little Women’), and Martin Scorsese (The Irishman), and at one point, the moderator, Stephen Galloway, asked the panel if they’d been approached to helm a movie for Marvel Studios, and Wang raised her hand, before laughing:
“I don’t know if I’m supposed to say that.”
She did not go into any further details, so it’s unknown when this was, what the project was, or what the outcome of this discussion was.
Marvel actively sought a female director for ‘Captain Marvel’, but wound up going with a female/male duo of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. It was just disclosed that they would not return to direct the sequel and that Marvel was seeking a solo female director to replace them.
They also sought a female for ‘Black Widow’, with Cate Shortland (‘Berlin Syndrome’) landing the gig. She reportedly beat out Amma Asante (‘Belle’), Kimberly Peirce (‘Carrie’), and Maggie Betts (‘Novitiate’).
Another female director is helming the other Marvel Studios film due out this year, ‘Eternals’. Chloé Zhao (‘The Rider’) is crafting that, but since this is an ensemble, Marvel was open to male or female directors. Reportedly, the studio also considered Nicole Kassell (HBO’s ‘Watchmen’), Travis Knight (‘Bumblebee’), and Cristina Gallego & Ciro Guerra (‘Birds of Passage’).
Wang’s name was not among those rumored for these other flicks, so it’s entirely possible that she has been approached to helm ‘Captain Marvel 2’. And since Wang did not say what came of those talks, so it’s also possible that she will wind up tackling that picture.
Wang’s ‘The Farewell’ was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, and Awkwafina won for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical or Comedy. Awkwafina will soon make her way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, when she co-stars in ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’, which is expected to begin filming soon and will arrive in theaters February 12, 2021.
In August, Wang told Variety:
“I would absolutely love to do a superhero movie. It just has to be the right one. It has to have the right message. Yes, I’m putting it out into the universe. Bring me all the superheroes. Definitely female. I definitely want to do a female superhero.”
In the meantime, Lulu Wang has announced plans to direct a science fiction film, ‘Children of the New World’, based on the short stories of Alexander Weinstein.
Check back for any updates should they surface.
