Marvel Studios offered the Duplass brothers an opportunity to direct one of their movies, which they eventually turned down.
Landing a gig directing a movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is highly sought after, with many of the best young talents making their way from the indie scene to the MCU.
The Duplass brothers, the duo behind projects such as Jeff, Who Lives at Home and Togetherness, didn’t jump at the chance, however, when Marvel came calling. The brothers have revealed to Vulture the reason why they declined:
“There was a moment where Marvel was interested in us taking on one of their properties.” Mark Duplass revealed. “It would have been a $150 to $180 million budget and about three years of our lives.”
“‘We own you,’ essentially,” Jay added.
When asked by Vulture which movie they were offered, Jay responded: “It would be impolite to say.”
“To be a little Sundance filmmaker tapped by Marvel felt incredible.” Mark added. “But the amount of stuff we could make over those three years, the relationships we could forge with younger filmmakers…”
“We’d have to give that all up.” Jay said. The brothers went on to praise Ryan Coogler and his work on Black Panther but reiterated that the MCU isn’t for them.
