Why Steven Soderbergh Won’t Direct A Superhero Movie
Acclaimed filmmaker Steven Soderbergh explains why he won’t direct a superhero movie. Ever since breaking through with 1989’s Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Soderbergh has developed a signature style: his films tend to be marked by non-linear and experimental storytelling, frequently used to highlight subjects like mortality, shifting identities, and vengeance.
Still, the Oscar winner has dabbled in different worlds. He’s directed crime dramas, biopics, and big box office tentpoles like Magic Mike and the Ocean’s trilogy. But there’s one genre Soderbergh doesn’t see himself approaching anytime soon. Noting that he has nothing against superhero movies, Soderbergh recently shed light on why he thinks he wouldn’t be able to direct one.
While promoting his new HBO film Let Them Talk on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Soderbergh was asked by host Josh Horowitz if he’d ever direct a superhero movie. Horowitz specifically asked Soderbergh about past rumors that the director expressed interest in helming a Fantastic Four adaptation. Soderbergh shot down the idea, elaborating on why he feels he would be a bad fit for the popular genre. Soderbergh’s full quote has been transcribed below.
“I wouldn’t have said that just because I just didn’t read that stuff growing up. Yeah, I think you really need to love it. And like I said, you need to be one of those people that want to go stand in line for it. I just wasn’t that person. And I would be second guessing. I would be doing exactly what I was talking about before. I wouldn’t know where North is because it just wasn’t it wasn’t part of my, you know, bag of interests growing up. So… I don’t I don’t know, I’m not a snob. I like all kinds of stuff. I just want to do a good job when I go to work. And I would honestly feel unable to do a good job. An Ocean’s movie is as close as I can get to kind of, you know, a superhero movie, or something that has slightly outsized activity in it.”
Soderbergh’s comments are particularly instructive when considering the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The idea for it began, in part, by the simple but revolutionary notion of bringing on collaborators that felt passionate about their work. In spite of the fact that the success of the MCU seems like a certainty these days, it was hardly a given when Jon Favreau was directing the first Iron Man. He famously referred to the superhero romp as a student film, though he believed in the project. That fandom was similarly evident when Martin Scorsese criticized the genre in 2019. When offering their rebuttals, directors such as James Gunn and Joss Whedon weren’t content to simply defend their own output. They also offered defenses of the superhero realm more broadly.
Soderbergh’s reasoning, in another vein, sheds light on the respect he does have for superhero stories. The director indicates that he understands the responsibilities and the weight that would come with adapting a beloved comic book tale, such as Fantastic Four. He even makes clear that, for all of his accolades and all of his success in varied genres, superhero adaptations would make him feel incapable of creating something to his satisfaction. Still, perhaps in the future, the right project could come along that would encourage Soderbergh to give it a shot.
Source: Happy Sad Confused podcast