Tom Hiddleston Collaborator Ben Wheatley Really Wants To Direct A 'Marvel Zombies' Movie: Could It Work?

When you think about it, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is very wacky. After all, not every franchise can boast of multiple dimensions, robotic suits, magic spells and talking raccoons! However, if one Hollywood hot-shot director has his way, the MCU could be shuffling towards stranger and more sinister stories.

Ben Wheatley Really Wants to Direct a 'Marvel Zombies' Movie

The last few years have been very kind to British-born director Ben Wheatley, who has increasingly received recognition for his marvelous movies, including the likes of Kill List, Sightseers and High Rise which starred Loki himself, #TomHiddleston.

His career is certainly rocketing now; Wheatley's latest film, Free Fire, has a cast that features a whole array of talent; one-time Scarecrow Cillian Murphy; the is-he-or-isn’t-he Green Lantern Armie Hamer; and the future Captain Marvel #BrieLarson.

In interviews nowadays, it’s customary for any up-and-coming talents to be quizzed about their future plans, namely if they have any big blockbuster/ superhero-related aspirations. So on Free Fire's promotional tour, Wheatley was straight-up asked if he’d consider crafting a movie for Marvel Studios, to which he replied:

“I think so… 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.”

Even though he has in dabbled with mainstream properties such as #DoctorWho, Wheatley’s directional style is a much more mind-bending, idiosyncratic brand of film-making than the #MCU is used to.

If Ben Wheatley ever did choose to direct a Marvel movie, the results would be interesting, to say the least! The film would not only stand out because of his distinctive directorial style, but also because of his unorthodox choice for preferred property:

“… ‘Marvel Zombies’ hasn’t been done which is what I’m [most] interested in.”

Wheatley’s one caveat (or should that be cadaver?) for potentially making a #Marvel movie will have some fans salivating at the thought of it, and others loading their shotguns in angry preparation.

Sinking Our Teeth into 'Marvel Zombies'

Written by #TheWalkingDead’s Robert Kirkman back in 2005, Marvel Zombies is a somewhat divisive series which does exactly what the title suggests. However, it’s not so much about our heroes fighting zombies, rather that they are the zombies. Centering on a parallel universe where everyone (including our favorite heroes) fell victim to a flesh-eating plague, the remaining undead subsequently plot to spread to other dimensions and consume the inhabitants.

Yep — in a twist from their normal gormless gobbling, these guys retain their intellect and powers making them more formidable, and slightly more sympathetic than usual. This is most evident in #SpiderMan's case, who mourns the fact that he ate both MJ and Aunt May! With such powerful characters like the mighty Galactus getting devoured in this scenario, Negan himself wouldn't stand a chance!

Back when it was released, Marvel Zombies proved to be a smash hit, with comic book devotees devouring each of the issues, and grabbing at any other storyline where the cannibalistic characters have creeped up yet again. However, it does have quite a few detractors, who cite the hackneyed premise and the dark nature of the content as their main gripes. But if you’re a fan of gratuitous gore and #superheroes, then this really is the series for you.

Though George A Romero may assert that zombie movies have been killed off by The Walking Dead, the success of the series shows just how popular zombies are. Heck, they even made a Pride and Prejudice vs Zombies film!

So, with so much love for zombies and Marvel, as well as support for the project both inside and outside Hollywood, could we ever see a Marvel Zombies movie?

Could We Ever See a 'Marvel Zombies' Movie?

As we all know, movie-making tends to manoeuvre towards the money, and a high-concept idea like this will certainly have been considered by Kevin Feige et al. Marvel Zombies certainly has a built-in popularity thanks to the comics, plus the R-rated success of #Logan and #Deadpool from 20th Century Fox have opened the industry up to the possibility of grittier and gorier caped crusaders.

Realistically though, even with their more mature content on #Netflix, Marvel Studios is very unlikely to attempt this anytime soon. It’s one thing to have edgier heroes killing bad guys a bit more brutally, but having them devour each other en masse is a much greater and riskier step. With their noggin-nibbling habits, zombies fly in the face of the kind of family-friendly viewing the MCU provides.

Some fans may yearn to see a slavering Tony Stark (#RobertDowneyJr) snacking on Spider-Man (#TomHolland), but how would the filmmakers and parents explain that to the kids? It’s hard enough for some cinema-goers to realize that some superhero smack-downs aren’t certified for children as it is. Let’s face it; if Marvel isn’t willing to tackle the alcoholism of #IronMan’s 'Demon in the Bottle' storyline or bring their darker vigilantes from Netflix into the movie sphere, it’s doubtful that they’d want to double down on the living dead.

So whilst it's not wholly impossible (hey, we did finally get an R-rated #Wolverine film!), for now, a Marvel Zombies movie is something we can only dream about. However, if Marvel can rest assured that if ever they wanted to awake “The Hunger” in their heroes, then Ben Wheatley’s on hand to give us the gore!

(Source: Little White Lies)