Edgar Wright Once Turned Down Directing an X-MEN Movie
Director Edgar Wright has long been a filmmaker fans dream of seeing take on a major comic book franchise. The Shaun of the Dead and Baby Driver director famously came close to shaping the Marvel Cinematic Universe early on with Ant-Man, before creative differences led to his departure from the project. But it turns out there was another Marvel opportunity that could’ve been even bigger… X-Men.
While promoting Wright’s new movie The Running Man, producer Simon Kinberg revealed that he’s been trying to collaborate with Wright for decades, and that one of those opportunities could have brought him into the world of mutants.
“I’ve been trying to make a movie with Edgar Wright for over 25 years,” Kinberg said to the official Movies X account. “We met when we were young guys in Hollywood, just starting out together, and I’ve been such a huge fan of his. I’ve sent him things over the years, many, many [things], X-Men movies, all kinds of things, and he always said no.”
Kinberg, who either wrote or produced every X-Men movie from 2006 through 2020, had his hands on nearly every installment during Fox’s run with the franchise.
He worked alongside directors like Matthew Vaughn, James Mangold, Tim Miller, and David Leitch, and the idea of Wright joining that roster is kind of fun to think about.
Imagine Wright’s kinetic editing style and razor-sharp humor injected into an X-Men movie. It’s an interesting thought experiment for comic book fans.
Kinberg didn’t specify which X-Men films he actually sent Wright, only that there were multiple chances for him to jump in. As for why Wright passed, that remains unclear. It’s easy to wonder if his experience with Ant-Man and Marvel Studios made him cautious about diving back into superhero territory.
Thankfully, Kinberg finally got his wish to work with Wright on The Running Man, which is now in theaters.