The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an ever expanding place. In addition to the heavily planned phases of films, there is also a myriad of popular TV shows, the best of which are produced and aired at Netflix. And with the MCU so focused on crossovers and serialized storytelling, many fans have been campaigning for movie characters to make an appearance in Netflix shows, or vice versa. While Marvel maintains that this would be a logistical nightmare, perhaps a more plausible crossover would be for a film director to try their hand at small screen projects. Chief among these candidates is Guardians of the Galaxy director and social media mogul James Gunn.
James Gunn recently did one of his signature Facebook live videos, where he welcomes fan questions. When asked if he would consider directing a few episodes of Netflix shows like Jessica Jones or Luke Cage, Gunn said the following:
If it was under the right circumstances, maybe. But it would never be one that is preexisting; it would have to be the pilot of a new show.
There you go, people. James Gunn is willing to try his hand at small screen direction, as long as the Netflix project was a new one that he could put his creative spin on.
This answer actually makes a great deal of sense. James Gunn's work within the Marvel Cinematic Universe has truly put him on a tier separate from the other 12 movies; Guardians of the Galaxy broke the mold of the superhero genre and brought a new sense of levity and humor to the MCU. The unique tone of Guardians is decidedly missing from Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage. While all three of the Netflix shows are phenomenal in their own right, James Gunn would need a brand new project that he could spin and manipulate into his vision.
Now the question to ask is, what project could James Gunn possibly direct? The Defenders has already enlisted the help of S.J. Clarkson to direct the first episodes, so to that's out of the question and Iron Fist is nearly done filming. The only other project currently slated for production on the streaming service is the Punisher spinoff, but we can assume that the gritty tone of Frank Castle's world won't vibe well with James Gunn's sense of humor and use of quirky characters.
In order for James Gunn to get behind the camera for Netflix, he's going to need a suitable new series. Perhaps the best possibility would be Misty Knight spinoff, as she was a standout character in Luke Cage. Misty is a rather major player in the Marvel comics, and it would be great to see her more fleshed out through her own series. And because Luke Cage used humor by paying homage to blacksploitation films, Gunn would be able to further flesh out Misty's sense of humor organically. And then maybe we'll finally get her robotic arm.
A guy can dream, right?
