Legendary director Quentin Tarantino has been quite vocal about his disdain for Marvel films and similar blockbusters. He joins other classic directors like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola in bashing the highest-grossing film franchise of all time, citing the trend of studios who only commission big event films or superhero films.
However, the director has claimed that he was a huge fan of the comics and spent his childhood reading Marvel comics. In fact, before the birth of the MCU, Tarantino was reportedly approached to direct Iron Man by Fox Studios, but the deal never fell through.
Quentin Tarantino’s Iron Man Movie That Never Got Made
The story behind the making of Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man is more dramatic than the film itself. Plans for a film based on the character started way back in 1990 when Universal Pictures had the rights to Iron Man. The studio wanted to make a low-budget film based on the character, but the film never came to fruition. The rights were then bought by 20th Century Fox.
Fox Studios started to develop the film in the late 90s, with Nicholas Cage expressing interest in starring in the film. However, actor Tom Cruise was in serious talks to star as the eccentric billionaire Tony Stark. Cruise also reportedly wanted to produce the film. Iron Man creator Stan Lee and screenwriter Jeff Vintar reportedly wrote a screenplay for the film.
The film was still in development when Quentin Tarantino was approached to direct the film. While the legendary director has confessed his love for the comics, the plans fell through and Tarantino seems to have passed on the project. Tarantino’s involvement in the film would have drastically changed the direction of the MCU.
The noted auteur would have no doubt put in his signature quirks such as ultra-violence, homages to classic films, and an overwhelming amount of foot shots. While the MCU was not even an idea back then, such a style-heavy and auteur-backed film would not be in any studio’s best interests. Filmmakers such as Edgar Wright have tried to work with Marvel but have failed to come to an understanding.
Quentin Tarantino’s Opinion On Marvel
Despite being a fan of the comics and a potential director, Quentin Tarantino has had controversial opinions about the film franchise since it hit big. The MCU is a behemoth that started the trend of connected universes, with every major studio jumping on the bandwagon to produce their versions of the MCU with the IPs they own.
Directors such as Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola have criticized this trend and have constantly been vocal about the frequency and quantity of superhero films that get to be made. Tarantino mentioned in the ‘2 Bears, 1 Cave’ podcast that he had issues with the trend started by the MCU. He said,
“My only axe to grind is they’re the only things that seem to be made. And they’re the only things that seem to generate any kind of excitement amongst a fanbase or even for the studio making them…Back in 2005, if an actor stars in a movie that does as good as the Marvel movies do, then that guy’s an absolute star…that’s not the case now. We want to see that guy [keep] playing Wolverine or whatever.”
The director’s comments were criticized by many, including the stars of the MCU such as Robert Downey Jr., and Samuel L. Jackson.
