Will Angelina Jolie Direct CAPTAIN MARVEL?

OK! Magazine has published a rumor that Marvel is talking to Angelina Jolie about directing their upcoming Captain Marvel movie. This makes some sort of sense, as Jolie helming the studio's first female-led movie is a big coup for a character who, despite what Tumblr would tell you, is largely unknown outside the faithful. If you can't hire a star for Carol Danvers why not hire a star to direct Carol Danvers? With Unbreakable Jolie proved that she can direct the kind of straightforward stuff that Marvel likes; her style in that movie is so down the middle that she could easily fit inside the Marvel Studios aesthetic. 

But here's the thing: the magazine is saying they want to pay her TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS to direct. That would place Jolie among the highest paid directors - Christopher Nolan was paid $20 million for Interstellar, but that seems to be an outlier, and is usually reserved for the most high-end blockbuster guys. Auteurs like Ridley Scott take home like $10 million a picture, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

$20 million is an awful lot of money, especially for Marvel Studios, notorious for nickle and diming the talent. Robert Downey Jr has gotten crazy rich off Marvel, but that's all from back end deals and endorsements. But even if money isn't an issue, hiring a star director like this is so outside the Marvel model that the whole thing smells fishy. Marvel likes directors who are hungry for a shot at something different or who are talented but coming off a less-than-stellar turn - think Joss Whedon and Serenity and Jon Favreau with Zathura. Sure, Unbroken did not light the world afire and has been essentially dropped from the awards season discussion, but Jolie is still a HUGE STAR. She's not someone who will come in and service the studio's needs - she will be expecting the studio to service her needs. If Alan Taylor chaged under Marvel's micromanagement, how will Jolie deal with it?

Also, this rumor comes from OK! Magazine, so it definitely seems like we should be ignoring this on principle.

In the meantime, I think we should assume Marvel will seek out a female director for this film. With Michelle MacLaren off the table, directing Wonder Woman, Marvel will need to look beyond standard fan-hiring and get themselves an interesting choice.