10 Upcoming Comic Book Films (And Who Should Direct Them)

9. Untitled Man Of Steel Sequel: Brad Bird

Tomorrowland Brad Bird
Disney

You'd think that the director behind The Incredibles would be attached to big franchises more often, but that isn't the case for Brad Bird, who only got given the keys to an established franchise in 2011's Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

The director's name has, however, been thrown into discussions surrounding just who, exactly, will replace Colin Trevorrow for Episode IX. And yes, while he'd make a great fit for that franchise, having already flexed his sci-fi credentials on Tomorrowland and Iron Giant, we'd love to see Bird take a stab at the comic book genre again - away from the animated realm.

Although Man of Steel gave Superman fans the action that had been sorely lacking in most of the character's previous live action endeavours, it felt particularly soulless, and even cruel in parts. Doubts do, of course, also remain regarding Henry Cavill's performance as the character, but perhaps what's missing is a director to really eek out the big blue scout's more heartfelt qualities.

Brad Bird gets the kind of warmth that needs to reverberate from a comic book feature - particularly one as iconic and uplifting as Superman - and it's because of that he should get the nod to direct a Man of Steel sequel. It's a warmth that's been found wanting in most DC tales, but when it is there - as Wonder Woman so eloquently displayed - it can really elevate a given project. Bird is the man that can make it happen.

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.