Anyone who regularly keeps up with film and television news knows that the industry is just a massive pile of “almosts” and “might have beens”. For instance, Christian Bale “might have been” Batman again in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, as he was offered a ton of money to come back. John Carpenter “almost” directed an adaptation of Firestarter in the early ’80s. Sean Bean “almost” became James Bond in the ’90s. Marvel, of course, have their own never-ending lists of almosts. Hell, they even have a fan-favorite classic line of comics titled What If?!
Guardians of the Galaxy writer/director James Gunn revealed today via his account that, in addition to the property he ultimately chose to tackle for Marvel Studios, he was also offered another: Moon Knight. The subject came up when someone asked about the possibility of the character appearing in a future Guardians films and this was Gunn’s reply…
“Oh my God I love Moon Knight & I have a great idea for a movie, I just wish I had the time (but, no, he doesn’t belong in Guardians). I told them. But, like I said, I just don’t have the time.”
While it’s always possible that Gunn could make time for a Moon Knight film after his post-production and press duties on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 have been completed, I doubt such a scenario will come to pass. Should Gunn opt to make a third movie for Marvel, it will undoubtedly be the inevitable Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. When the filmmaker finally steps away from that franchise, I suspect he will want to move back to making his own original films for awhile, instead of diving directly into another corner of the MCU. Besides, last I heard, Moon Knight is now in the hands of Marvel TV, so a show on Netflix or Hulu seems likelier than him getting a film at this point.
Also teasing us of an alternate reality, fittingly enough, are two pieces of concept art showing what Ryan Gosling might have looked like as the star of Doctor Strange. Gosling was one of many actors sought for the role that Benedict Cumberbatch ultimately scored. Others considered for and/or offered the part include Joaquin Phoenix, Ewan McGregor, Keanu Reeves, Ethan Hawke, and Jared Leto. Would Gosling have made a good Sorcerer Supreme for Marvel? We’ll never know, but there’s always the chance he could play another comic book character on down the line. In a world where Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe are now Superman’s fathers, almost anything is possible. Now feast your eyes on Baby Goose as Dr. Stephen Strange, courtesy of artist (hat tip to ComicBook)…
