Established in 2008 with Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, Kevin Feige’s Marvel Cinematic Universe took the world by storm. The compelling storyline with extraordinary superhero action saving the day, and their idea of interconnecting films throughout multiple franchises was something that the world was missing back then.
With the MCU hitting its peak in 2019 with Avengers: Endgame, Feige’s superhero universe shattered almost every box office record imaginable. The success has also garnered immense critical acclaim, where they praise the superhero franchise for crafting one expansive universe that consists of all of their favorite comic book names.
However, the President of Marvel Studios was taken aback when Michael Giacchino approached him with arguably the weirdest pitch of them all. The Alias composer pitched the idea of making a TV series based on an obscure 1972 character, Werewolf By Night, that apparently shocked Feige to his core.
Kevin Feige Was Flabbergasted With Michael Giacchino’s Surprising MCU Pitch
Over the years, Kevin Feige’s MCU has revolutionized the film industry in various aspects. From finding new ways of storytelling to setting a highly unrealistic bar for superhero films, it has continued to allure ardent fans along with casual moviegoers as well as film critics.
Part of the franchise’s success is based on the directors and its perfect casting. But Feige was somewhat skeptical when Michael Giacchino, who is mostly known for his composition work, decided to approach him for a directorial project, which might have shocked Feige.
Giacchino has composed for several renowned franchises like The Incredibles, Mission: Impossible, Jurassic World, his Academy Award-winning work Up, and many more. However, he has a couple of directorial works under his CV, where he directed an episode in Star Trek: Short Treks, titled Eprahim and Dot, in 2019.
In the documentary Director By Night via SlashFilm, Giacchino shared how he had approached Feige with the most bizarre idea of all time. He stated that the assignment was more like his passion project, and this fringe character attracted him the most. He said,
I was just talking with Kevin one day and he was like, ‘There’s a lot happening. If there was anything you’d want to direct, what would you want to do?’ […] I remember saying, ‘I like the fringe characters. I like the ones that are off the beaten path because you can do more interesting things with them. So … Werewolf by Night. It was a Marvel comic I had as a kid [and] I loved it.’ He looked at me like, ‘Werewolf by Night? Wow … okay …’
Though many ardent Marvel fans were not aware of the work, it was part of the horror comics in the 1970s that were very prevalent and only attracted a limited audience.
Hence, sharing an idea about the fringe character really felt like an oddball to Feige.
Werewolf By Night Gets an Exciting Update From Its Director
Giacchino’s 2022 horror TV series, Werewolf By Night, featuring Gael García Bernal in the lead role, has been a positive watch among critics as well as the viewers of the show. The show has a positive score of 89% on the Tomatometer and an audience score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, which has set high expectations for another season of the show.
While talking to Collider in 2023, the director opened up about the potential of another season because “there’s always talk,” and he would have a ton of new ideas that one day he would be able to show the world again. He said,
There’s always talk. But, you know, until somebody decides to spend a penny, nothing happens yet. So, hopefully. My wish is that, yes, there will be more with these characters. I would love to, and I have ideas of what I would love to do with them, and it’s all crazy and nuts, but I think that’s the only way to go about it. So, hopefully, one day. Hopefully, one day.
Well, it has been nine months and there’s no update about a second season of the show, but like the composer said, “hopefully, one day” someone would share a similar vision as his and give him a go.
Werewolf By Night can be streamed on Disney+.
