Watchmen’s Damon Lindelof might write a Marvel movie

Damon Lindelof is a creator that doesn’t need any introduction. He frustrated most of us with the highly acclaimed Lost, but he then delighted us with The Leftovers and Watchmen. The latter was a one-season TV series for HBO, despite its popularity. But the showrunner might return to the world of superheroes soon, according to an insider. Apparently, Damon Lindelof is in negotiations with Marvel for a mystery MCU movie.

Daniel Richtman is a Marvel insider who posts scoops on his Twitter and Patreon accounts. They don’t always pan out, but he seems to have access to reliable information. Richtman said recently that Damon Lindelof might be in talks with Marvel to write an unnamed MCU movie.

The move isn’t necessarily surprising, considering the massive scope of the MCU right now. Marvel unveiled most of the MCU Phase 5 and 6 during this year’s Comic-Con and D23 Expo events.

We’re looking at several major movies, including two Avengers crossovers set to premiere in 2025. On top of that, we have a large number of Disney Plus TV shows that are in production or will start shooting in the coming years.

That means Marvel needs more writers, directors, and actors than ever in the MCU. And Damon Lindelof should undoubtedly be on a permanent shortlist on Kevin Feige’s desk.

This is only a rumor, but we know that Damon Lindelof is a fan of the MCU. And he’s not afraid to criticize Marvel’s massive universe. About a month ago, Lindelof said on the Into It podcast that Marvel is making too many movies.

What MCU movie would Damon Lindelof write?

Lindelof believes that Marvel should make fewer films so that they can be more special:

From a slightly sort of more cynical standpoint, this is a business. It’s an industry. And if you make a couple of great Marvel movies, the instinct is, ‘We need to make more Marvel movies, and we need to expand this.’ And I have this sort of interior feeling of like, ‘Wow, I wish they made less because it would make each one that came out a little bit more special. But I watch all of them. … People don’t want things to end. I do.

This criticism isn’t unwarranted. Marvel’s MCU Phase 4 movies have been box office successes, but they’re not perfect. It’s not just special effects that might annoy some fans, but also plot choices. Not to mention that most MCU movies have leaked in full well before their theatrical debut.

It certainly feels like Marvel might be pushing out too much content at once. Then again, Lindelof is the guy who strung us along for six seasons of Lost to then disappoint us with the finale. He did acknowledge that he understands where Marvel is coming from, however.

I don’t begrudge them the right to keep it going. I’ve made prequels and sequels and reboots, so I can’t be a hypocrite and say, ‘God, come up with an original idea.’ Meanwhile, I’m making two Star Trek movies and Prometheus.

The point is that Marvel heard Damon Lindelof’s take on the MCU. And we wouldn’t be surprised if Kevin Feige asked him to come along and make a special movie for the MCU.

If Lindelof is writing an MCU movie, we would expect him to work on a late Phase 5 or Phase 6 title. That’s because many Phase 5 projects are either done or in production. And this is where things get interesting. Marvel announced only three Phase 6 titles. So anything is possible for the final chapter of the Multiverse Saga.

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