After kicking the crap out of the opening weekend box office, Guardians of the Galaxy gave Marvel Studios 160 million reasons to keep exploring beyond those familiar rebooted characters. The question now is how long will we have to wait to see more lesser known heroes in theaters. Well, the wait might not be very long.
The studio puts out two films a year, and will bump that to three in 2017. Already slated for 2015 are Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man, which has a smaller fan base. In 2016, we’ll see Captain America 3 and rumored Doctor Strange – again, smaller fan base.
This brings us to 2017 and beyond. Kevin Feige, pres of Marvel, says they have stories through 2028, with Guardians of the Galaxy 2 scheduled for July 2017 and two more titles yet to be announced.
Three additional dates have already been penciled for 2018, but again, the titles are all unknown. What will they fill them with? We’ve taken the liberty of compiling a list of eight Marvel properties unfamiliar to the public at large, that if done right, could carry their own franchise.
1. Runaways
Remember when you were little and got stuck with all the other kids at boring grown-up parties? Well, what if those parents were actually conspiring to take over the world?
That’s the story of the Runaways. Six teens with nothing in common who learn their moms and dads are actually supervillains. They band together, discovering that they have powers of their own while trying to figure out a way to stop their evil parents.
Oh, and they make friends with a genetically engineered dinosaur named Old Lace.
Story concept: The Breakfast Club meets X-Men.
Playing Nico: A girl with black magic powers and the unofficial leader – there’s no better fit than Chloë Moretz from Kick-Ass.
Who’s involved: News back in 2010 had director Peter Sollett in negotiations with Runaway’s creator Brian K. Vaughan (Lost) for the script, but if that’s no longer the case, District 9’s director Neill Blomkamp would be great running the show. Blomkamp has shown he can bring both the humor and drama to a project like this while working in the realm of cinematic sci-fi.
2. Captain Marvel
Like many of you, we think it’s time Marvel makes a film starring a female superhero. No offense to Black Widow fans, we want to see a SUPERhero movie, not just a spy thriller, and we think we know just the character to take center stage – Captain Marvel.
Carol Danvers is serving as an officer in the U.S. Air Force when she’s caught in an explosion. In our movie, military doctors will bring her back from death’s door by fusing her DNA with that of the alien Kree. This will allow her to not only recover from her wounds, but gain super-strength powers, flight, and the ability to fire energy blasts from her fists.
The story could fit well within the current storylines in the Marvel universe. We just saw Ronan, a member of the Kree, nearly destroy a whole world in Guardians of the Galaxy. On ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., they brought back Phil Coulson to life using Kree blood, and saved Skye from a fatal gunshot with an injection of it.
Plus, in the comics, she has been a member of the Avengers and is currently part of the Guardians of the Galaxy, so she could tie into either franchise very easily.
Story concept: Bionic Woman meets Superman.
Playing Captain Marvel: A super-strong blonde woman who can fly? Isn’t that Charlize Theron in Hancock?
Who’s involved: For director, why not give Freddie Wong a shot and put a savvy Marvel writer like Christopher Markus on the script?
3. Pete Wisdom and MI13
An MI13 movie would be a great way for Marvel to explore foreign superheroes in their cinematic universe. Just like MI5 is the domestic British Intelligence agency or how …Bond… James Bond deals with MI6’s foreign affairs, MI13 has its own area of concentration: the weird and supernatural.
The head of MI13 is Pete Wisdom, a self-righteous agent who has the ability to throw energy darts from his hands.
Along with the uber strong Captain Britain, Sage, and a few others, Wisdom protects England, and the world at large, from invasions by super-powered terrorists.
Think of it this way: if the Chitauri invasion had happened in Cardiff instead of New York, it would have been Pete Wisdom and MI13 on the front lines instead of the Avengers. The one caveat we’re unsure of is which studio owns the rights, 20th Century or Marvel. We checked in with Marvel to no avail, but it should be distant enough from the X-Men property that Marvel should still own them.
Story concept: Doctor Who meets Men in Black.
Playing Pete Wisdom: We need someone who can smooth talk his way out of any situation, but who you wouldn’t want to mess with when his back is against the wall. We’re thinking Colin Farrell. He can play both charming and lethal.
Who’s involved: Sci-fi novelist Paul Cornell wrote the latest MI13 series for Marvel, and at one point had Dr. Doom meeting Dracula on the moon. That’s enough to qualify him for writing the script for our MI13 film. Directing, who other than Sam Mendes, and pair him with cinematographer Roger Deakins. Throw in production mixer Peter Devlin (Star Trek) or Stephen Davidson (Captain America) for sound and MPC for visual effects, and it’ll be the makings of a stellar movie.
4. Ms. Marvel
Earlier this year, Marvel comics made headlines by launching their first book to star a Muslim superhero: Ms. Marvel. The name is taken from an old Marvel series from the 1970s (starring the aforementioned Carol Danvers).
This book follows the adventures of Kamala Khan, a teenager from Jersey City who gains the ability to shape shift. Similar to Peter Parker, Kamala grapples with the responsibility of learning how to use her powers to help people while trying to keep her secret from her loved ones.
Story Concept: Spider-Man meets Bend it Like Beckham.
Playing Ms. Marvel: In the comics, Kamala is 15. For our movie, we’d age her a little so we could have Summer Bishil play her with the same quiet strength she showed in Towelhead.
Who’s involved: While Edgar Wright probably isn’t interested in dealing with Marvel Studios again after leaving Ant-Man, maybe we could convince his Scott Pilgrim vs. The World cinematographer, Bill Pope, to bring some stylized, frenetic energy to this project.
5. Black Panther
The tiny African nation of Wakanda has never been successfully conquered thanks to its superhero ruler, the Black Panther. The title and powers of the Black Panther are passed down from generation to generation, endowing the bearer with heightened strength, speed, reflexes, and senses.
Marvel could go one of two ways with this film: either keep Black Panther in Africa, and explore his origin, his world, and what it takes to be a leader, or they could give us a spy thriller, where the Black Panther comes to America to spy on the Avengers and SHIELD.
Story Concept: The Bourne Ultimatum meets The Professional.
Playing Black Panther: To convey intense and dangerous T’Challa, we think Idris Elba has the right commanding presence for the Wakandan king.
Who’s involved: We wouldn’t mind Paul Greengrass, Tate Taylor, or Steve McQueen directing, with Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt on the script.
6. She-Hulk
Not unlike her male counterpart (He-Hulk?), Jennifer Walters has the ability to turn from mild-mannered lawyer into a big, green, superhero machine. The only difference? Instead of turning into a mindless beast, Jennifer keeps full control of her faculties when she hulks out, even in the courtroom.
Our movie would be more of a courtroom/workplace comedy than a non-stop action adventure. Remember the destruction of New York in Avengers? In a city of over eight million people, somebody had to have the idea to sue Tony Stark for billions of dollars. Enter Jennifer Walters, Avengers legal counsel and part time superhero.
Story concept: Think Boston Legal for the superhero set.
Playing She-Hulk: Kate Beckinsale would make a great Jennifer Walters and an even better She-Hulk.
Who’s involved: Toss in director Joss Whedon, cinematographer Neville Kidd from the Sherlock Holmes series, and picture editor Jeffrey Ford, and we’ll be in line to buy a ticket.
7. Namor, the Sub-Mariner
Debuting way back in 1939, Namor, The Sub-Mariner is the undersea king of Atlantis. Born to a human father and an Atlantean mother, Namor has roots with both the Atlanteans and the surface dwellers, but has never felt at home in either world.
We could see a Namor film in which the Atlanteans, angered by humanity’s underwater weapon testing, prepare to attack the surface. But when Namor falls in love with a human woman, he must choose between the vengeance his people crave, and the humans he has come to respect.
Again, the rights for Namor are unclear, but rumors have had them recently returning to Marvel Studios, just like The Hulk, from Universal. With Aquaman being cast for Warner Bros’ upcoming Justice League film, Marvel needs to get a Namor movie made soon if it doesn’t want to look like a copycat.
Story Concept: The majesty of Thor meets the fish out of water (sorry!) aspects of John Carter.
Playing Namor: Since he already has the necessary arrogance nailed down from his lead role on Sherlock, how about Benedict Cumberbatch?
Who’s involved: An alien-like undersea kingdom and large monsters attacking sounds perfect for Guillermo del Toro. Add in his cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, and we think they could recapture the eeriness of Pan’s Labyrinth mixed with the heavy monster action of Pacific Rim.
8. Great Lakes Avengers
Inspired by watching the Avengers save the world on his TV, a wannabe superhero named Mr. Immortal takes out an ad in his local paper, searching for other heroes to form their own team. Answering the call are Doorman, who can teleport anyone, but only as far as the next room; Big Bertha, a supermodel by day who gains super strength by transforming into a giant fat lady; Flatman, who is, well, flat; and fanboy-favorite Squirrel Girl, who is half squirrel, half girl.
But there aren’t a lot of alien invasions in rural Wisconsin, so the team, after hearing a news report about “evil” corporations, decides to take down the largest corporation in their area, a local breakfast chain. As misguided as they may be, the team stumbles upon hidden villains in the business and now these bumbling d-list superheroes must show they have what it takes to save the world… or at least save breakfast.
Story Concept: Mystery Men meets Hot Fuzz.
Playing Mr. Immortal?: The leader of this team of misfits needs to come across as earnest in wanting to do good, naïve in his team’s lack of abilities, and confident in his own powers, which is simply the ability to not die. Why not Jason Biggs?
Who’s involved: James Gunn should definitely direct and with it’s Hot Fuzz-esqe element, throw Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg on the script.