Does Marvel Want Angelina Jolie to Direct CAPTAIN MARVEL?

Here's an interesting rumor: Marvel Studios has allegedly been talking to Angelina Jolie about directing Captain Marvel, the studio's first female-led superhero movie. OK! Magazine made the claim in its Feb. 9 issue, citing "an insider" who claims Marvel offered Jolie $20 million to direct Captain Marvel.

"Having a female director is a priority for them," OK! Magazine's source told them. "[Jolie] never thought she'd be in such huge demand as a director, and to be courted by Marvel after the Sony fiasco is a huge pat on the back."

OK! Magazine isn't exactly the pinnacle of media journalism, so let's take this rumor with huge grain of salt. Jolie has only directed two films, but the second one was both a critical and box office hit. Unbroken opened to $30.6 million on its way to grossing $114.6 million at the domestic box office.

Captain Marvel, which is set to open on July 6, 2018, is one of the lesser-known properties on the Marvel Cinematic Universe road to Avengers: Infinity War — Part II. Of course, Guardians of the Galaxy showed us that Marvel Studios can turn turn any property into a box office hit, so there's no point in doubting whether the studio can turn Captain Marvel or Inhumans into a blockbuster. Marvel doesn't need Jolie directing the film to turn it into a hit — but it wouldn't hurt.

The thing about this rumor that I get caught on is that Marvel Studios doesn't pay big money for directors. Heck, they don't pay big money for stars (unless you're Robert Downey Jr.). Marvel's recipe for success has involved picking directors you wouldn't think should be helming massive tentpole superhero franchises. Anthony and Joe Russo had Community, Happy Endings and You, Me and Dupree on their résumés before they directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier. James Gunn had Slither and Super before he directed Guardians of the Galaxy. The right directors with the right script and smart casting have given Marvel Studios an unprecedented string of hits. Giving Jolie $20 million to direct Captain Marvel just seems out of character for Marvel.

There shouldn't be some rule that female-centric superhero movies have to have female directors. Female directors should be directing superhero movies of all kind. Marvel almost made that happen with Thor: The Dark World, but Patty Jenkins dropped out of the project before Alan Taylor came aboard. Warner Bros. picked Michelle MacLaren to helm Wonder Woman, but that hiring follows Marvel's practice of picking TV directors. Hiring Jolie would be an entirely different move.