Shawn Levy is being eyed to direct the next “Avengers” movie, TheWrap has learned. The filmmaker is currently in post-production on “Deadpool & Wolverine,” but he’s been given the latest script for “Avengers 5” by Michael Waldron (“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”) and is mulling over the prospect of directing. Marvel, meanwhile, is also looking at other filmmakers so this is far from a done deal.
Levy has a busy dance card. In addition to getting “Deadpool & Wolverine” across the finish line for its July release, he’s set to direct two episodes of the final season of “Stranger Things” — he directed two episodes of every previous season of the Netflix series and has maintained his commitment to seeing the tradition through.
Levy is also developing a “Star Wars” movie, but that one’s a bit further off.
Marvel declined to comment.
The next “Avengers” movie was originally meant to be called “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” but after Marvel dropped Kang actor Jonathan Majors following his assault conviction, the project was reworked. “Shang-Chi” director Destin Daniel Cretton was previously set to direct but departed the film last fall.
Plot details are under wraps but the potential involvement of Levy is a sign of confidence in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which is Marvel Studios’ only release this year. The R-rated “Deadpool” sequel had Levy set to direct before Hugh Jackman agreed to return as Wolverine, which evolved the project into a long-awaited buddy movie between the Jackman and Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool. It marks the characters’ first foray into the official Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Levy has tackled projects of various shapes and sizes throughout his career, from the family-oriented “Night at the Museum” movies to the broad comedy “Date Night” to the drama “This Is Where I Leave You.” He directed the Netflix drama limited series “All the Light We Cannot See,” which was released last year, and in recent years steered Fox’s hit action-comedy “Free Guy” and the Netflix sci-fi film “The Adam Project,” also with Reynolds.
By Disney CEO Bob Iger’s own admission, Marvel is in a period of quality control and is aiming to regain audience trust after 2023’s misfires. Upcoming films “The Fantastic Four” and “Thunderbolts” both got extra TLC after the strike, and nailing the next “Avengers” movie is key not only to the MCU appeasing fans but also Disney appeasing shareholders.
Deadline was first to report the news of Levy’s involvement.
Umberto Gonzalez contributed to this report.
