After I watched Deadpool an interesting thought came into my mind; the movie was great, but I started thinking how much better it would have been if Quentin Tarantino was in the director’s chair and a part of the writing team. This would probably never happen because of the control that Tarantino likes to have over his films and I doubt he’d willingly conform to the strict directives set for him by a studio trying to build a franchise. That being said, it is nice to dream and while we’re dreaming why stop at Tarantino? So I started thinking about other high-profile directors who haven’t come to the superhero party yet but should.

 

Quentin Tarantino – Deadpool

Now while I did enjoy Deadpool I don’t think it pushed its violence as far as it could have.I wasn’t just looking for a high volume of violence but rather more creativity. Deadpool is insane and immortal which means he can be put through as much pain and suffering as his enemies. He can rip off his arm and use it as a bat to beat someone down. The conventional rules of mortality and logic don’t apply to this character so we need a director who’s never ever worried about those rules anyway. I want to see sprays of blood filling the screen and innovative thinking in terms of how much pain one human being can inflict on another.

 

Steven Spielberg – Superman

With respect to Richard Donner and Zack Snyder resprectively, I don’t think Superman has had a larger-than-life movie yet. I have several personal qualms with the character and I’m rooting for Batman to kick his ass; but I have to admit that he’s one of the most recognisable characters in the world and a huge influence on pop-culture. His previous films haven’t been all bad, they just haven’t reached that epic status the character deserves. Richard Donner did a great job with introducing the character and handling his story, Zack Snyder did a good job modernising him and adding scale; it’s time to choose a director who can do both. Spielberg has shown that he can make fun blockbusters and add magic to stories, he’s perfected suited to give Krypton’s Last Son the movie he deserves.

 

James Cameron – Aquaman

Originally I was considering James Cameron to direct a Green Lantern film but then I started thinking about Aquaman and his Kingdom of Atlantis. A kingdom that I haven’t seen on film yet – it’s a whole new world that will have its own indigenous wildlife and rules. Sound familiar? I personally loved Avatar – it wasn’t an original story but the visuals and the world that Cameron built was top-class. This is going to be an introduction to Aquaman for a lot of people and we not only need to see his world we need to be captivated by it! Aquaman is also (despite what many people think) a badass and there’s going to need to be a large action element to this film and James Cameron has shown that he can handle action with his previous Terminator films.

 

Martin Scorsese – The Punisher

You know what we haven’t had in a while? A Martin Scorsese violence-filled drama. Scorsese has proven that he’s a master when it comes to the mob movie and I think as a member of the writing team and the man behind the camera, he could bring real grit to the character. I also think Scorsese has a wonderful eye for violence, especially practical violence. He isn’t going to give you the gratuitous blood squibs of a Tarantino film but he does portray violence in equally exciting and brutal ways. Added to that I think The Punisher is a wonderfully complex character and one that hasn’t been properly utilised in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He offers something different because of his willingness to kill and the fact that he doesn’t have any powers and relies on military experience and guerrilla tactics to get the job done. Also R-Rated superhero movies could become a new fad in Hollywood and The Punisher would be a great character to lead the charge with.

Robert Zemeckis – Spider-Man

Spider-Man is one of the most popular characters in comic book history and he’s had some great films – the first Spider-Man directed by Sam Raimi is still one of my favourite films and, in my mind, the film that launched the superhero genre. I think they’ve done great work with Spidey’s story and The Amazing Spider-Man (love it or hate it) did great work using 3D to bring Spider-Man’s death-defying movements to life. However, I’ve never watched a Spider-Man movie and felt like I was on the edge of the building about to leap off. I did feel like that in 2015’s vertigo-inducing The Walk. The way Zemeckis used the technology to make you feel like you were on the top of the Twin Towers was nothing but masterful. I would love to see this mastery used to bring Spider-Man’s flips and potentially fatal swings to life. I want to feel like I’m on holding on to that web line and flying through the air. Plus Zemeckis has shown that he can do the fun teen-adventure film with movies like Back to the Future.

Now those are just five directors that I think would do amazing jobs with comic book movies; but of course there are tons more. J.J. Abrams doing Iron Man? Kathryn Bigelow’s Black Widow? Guy Ritchie directing The Flash? Imagine the speed of those quick cuts! Is there a director you’d like to see tackle the superhero genre? Comment with your fantasy pick below.