10 Upcoming Comic Book Films (And Who Should Direct Them)
7. Joker Origin Movie: Ben Wheatley
Drafthouse Films
Ben Wheatley isn't a name that gets thrown around a lot when it comes to big budget blockbusters, but his most recent directorial effort - Free Fire - must surely have people talking.
Although divisive upon its release, Free Fire was a fun, slapstick action comedy with real grit, a great cast, and an even greater premise. Its own sense of humour is equally noteworthy, and Wheatley's other projects - Sightseers and High-Rise particularly - display the same kind of quality. The writer/director has plenty of range too, with A Field in England fitting the description of a psychological horror more so than the black comedy of his other works.
If it's true that Martin Scorsese is behind this upcoming, self-contained Joker story, then there's a chance that Wheatley could actually be in contention. Free Fire was, after all, produced by Scorsese, and while a Joker story would be a massive leap from the director's other projects, it's hard not to envision that he'd be a good pick for the job, particularly if it's looking to portray the clown prince's early, pre-acid bath years.
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.
