Albert Hughes isn’t interested in directing a Marvel or DC movie.
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We’ve all heard Martin Scorsese’s reservations about superhero movies, which he believes resemble theme parks more than cinema as they lack the idea of human beings trying to convey emotional, and psychological experiences to another human being.
A still from Marvel Studios’ The Avengers.
Interestingly, Scorsese isn’t the only acclaimed filmmaker to take an aim at the superhero universes created by Marvel and DC Studios. From The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola to Gladiator’s Ridley Scott, plenty of filmmakers have criticized the popular genre for different reasons. In that regard, talented filmmaker Albert Hughes has also joined this long queue with his own set of reasons for staying away from directing a Marvel or DC movie.
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Why The Continental Director Isn’t Keen on Directing a Marvel or DC Movie
Albert Hughes received plenty of plaudits for directing The Book of Eli. The movie follows the journey of Eli (Denzel Washington) who endures different challenges in his bid to keep hold of his sacred book.
Mel Gibson in the John Wick spin off, The Continental.
Most recently, Hughes made the news for directing a few episodes of Mel Gibson starrer The Continental: From The World of John Wick. The crime-action drama television series based on the John Wick franchise has earned encouraging reviews.
The highly-rated filmmaker has also been on the radar of Marvel Studios, and at one point, even started working with them. But halfway through it, he realized the interconnected world of superheroes wasn’t for him. Speaking with Josh Horowitz for the latter’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Hughes explained:
“I’ve been in talks with the obvious studio about superhero movies a couple of times, but I always felt uncomfortable because I knew it was a system. And they’re very nice and I went through a long process.”
He continued: “And I got very halfway, not very close, halfway through the process. Then I go, ‘Nah. I would implode from kind of the controlled nature of that world and not being able to do what I do.’”
The 51-year-old went on to make a scathing remark, claiming that he doesn’t understand why a real filmmaker would want to be in that system.
Read more: “The crazy uncle we all know”: Mel Gibson’s Troubled Past Helped Him Get Role in Keanu Reeves’ ‘John Wick’ Spin-Off ‘The Continental’
Which Marvel Character Interests The Continental Director Albert Hughes?
Hughes couldn’t have been more clear with his lack of interest in working with Marvel or DC franchises, but he did admit during the same interview that there was one character that he was interested in.
Blade (2025).
It seems that character is Blade, as when Horowitz asked him if it rhymes with Glade, the director said: “That smells like it’s on the right trail.”
Blade, a half-human vampire hunter, is one of Marvel’s most treasured characters. He was first introduced on the big screen in the titular movie in 1998. Marvel Studios are now working on bringing the Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali.
Interestingly, they initially struggled to rope in a director for the project and after a few changes and delays, Marvel handed Yann Demange the responsibility to shape the movie.
