Last year, reports emerged that Jordan Peele met with Marvel to discuss directing X-Men. Sadly, nothing materialized from that meeting, but word had Peele wanting to build relationships for other future Marvel projects.
Sure, it was only a meeting, but it did signal to other studios that Peele might not be interested solely in directing original stories. He may be ready to dive into the lucrative world of IP filmmaking.
The latest development, which had been traveling all around Marvel fan circles, comes from Daniel Richtman, who says Peele is being eyed for a mysterious Marvel project. What that movie might be is anybody’s guess, but it should be noted that he had previously been rumored for “Blade” and “Midnight.”
On the producing side, Peele has been struggling. “Monkey Man” barely made a dent at the box office. HBO canceled “Lovecraft Country” after one season. His “Twilight Zone” reboot was a bust. Nia DaCosta’s “Candyman” barely broke even. This year, he had another bomb, the Marlon Wayans–starring “HIM.”
Peele’s own brand isn’t quite as untouchable as it was coming off “Get Out,” for which he won an Oscar and earned best-of-the-decade notices. It was a film released at the right place and the right time. His follow-up, “Us,” earned just as much at the box office, with mostly positive reviews, while his most recent effort, 2022’s “Nope,” was by far his lowest-grossing movie despite being his most expensive.
Peele’s upcoming fourth film recently fell off the Universal calendar. Once slated for October 23, 2026, the project is no longer dated. Last we heard, Peele, remarkably, had no working script,.
This isn’t the first time the timeline has shifted. At one point, Peele was eyeing a Christmas Day 2024 release before that project was abandoned. A second idea briefly gained traction, only to be scrapped as well. As recently as this summer, Peele was brainstorming yet another concept, but there’s no indication he’s committed to anything concrete.
That’s where Marvel comes in. I can’t see Peele hopping on-board the MCU unless he gets creative carte blanche on a project, and that’s something Marvel head Kevin Feige hasn’t done on a film since 2008’s Jon Favreau-helmed “Iron Man.”
The film will stream for free, worldwide, on The Guardian's website in late November. That's a bold distribution move, and it tells you exactly what the filmmakers want here. They want eyeballs, as many as possible.