Is anyone going to seriously argue that Mad Max: Fury Road isn’t one of the best films of the year? I’m sure there’s some miserable soul out there who doesn’t recognize the unbridled genius that seventy year-old director George Miller unleashed upon theater screens this summer, and I feel nothing but sorrow for that person. However, today’s tidbit of rumor mill grist has me feeling a little sorrowful.
Jon Schnepp, the director of the documentary The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened? has put out some supposedly insider info that George Miller is being courted to direct Man of Steel 2. It makes sense that WB would go after Miller for their DC film universe after the critical and cultural success of Mad Max: Fury Road. In fact, Miller was going to direct a version of the Justice League years ago called Justice League Mortal, so it’s not like he hasn’t flirted with superheroes before. If this is true, it also adds more support to WB/DC’s commitment to letting their DC films be helmed by highly personal directors (they’ve already got Zack Snyder, James Wan, Patty Jenkins, and David Ayer on board), and I’m all for that. I care more about great individual films than I do a connecting world.
…But, I don’t want George Miller to do this. If he was laying the groundwork with Superman, that’d be a different song to sing, but he’s going to be playing in Zack Snyder’s sandbox. I’m not saying I wouldn’t love to see what Miller would do with the kind of budget and clout a superhero movie allows, but having to play follow-up to someone as distinct a visualist as Zack Snyder makes me worried. Not for Miller’s capabilities, but that his film will feel too different.
Maybe WB/DC is hoping to very softly reboot Superman after the controversial reaction Man of Steel received. That could be something interesting, and I’m completely on board with WB/DC giving these properties to directors with very apparent idiosyncrasies, but would this mean no Furiosa movie? Nothing feverishly original and viciously brilliant from the guy who carried us into Valhalla? I hope this remains a rumor, but if it does pan out, I can’t say I’m not deathly curious to witness (witness!) the result.
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