10 Directors Who Almost Directed 2014's Biggest Movies

3. Peyton Reed Almost Directed The Guardians Of The Galaxy

The suggestion that anyone but James Gunn could have pulled off the tricky prospect of adapting Guardians Of The Galaxy is now an unthinkable one considering how well he executed what was always going to be a brave option for the MCU. But he wasn't the only one on the short-list to make it, as new MCU recruit Peyton Reed was also a name on the drawing board. Directorial duo Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden made up the short-list, which would have been somewhat odd to say the least considering their track records, but ultimately - and smartly - the gig went to Gunn, whose commitment to humour and gleeful sci-fi ideals worked a treat. Reed obviously impressed as he was given the job of handling Ant-Man after the high-profile departure of Edgar Wright. What It Would Have Been Like It's hard to tell: there's little in Reed's filmography that suggests he's suited to comic book movies (Bring It On might be a cheerleading triumph but is it really where Marvel want to be?) but clearly his ideas for Guardians were good enough for him to be actively considered an ongoing option for other MCU prospects.