WTF: Lea Thompson Is Pitching A 'Howard The Duck' Movie To Marvel Studios
Even if you've never seen it, you've likely heard tales about how the 1986 Howard the Duck movie is terrible. But that was over 30 years ago and technology has changed considerably since then. The character experienced a brief resurgence in popularity after appearing briefly in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, and now Lea Thompson, the Back to the Future actress who starred in the original Howard the Duck, says she's planning to pitch a new movie version to the team at Marvel Studios.
Thompson has directed a handful of television episodes and a couple of TV movies, but she's currently out promoting The Year of Spectacular Men, her feature directorial debut. In an interview with Inquistr, the topic of the '86 film came up, and Thompson said she hoped Marvel would consider giving him a new movie:
"I love Howard the Duck, the person. I love the duck. I loved the duck in the movie; maybe I took my part too far and now I still love the duck. I wish that he had his due because I don't think they had the technology to do Howard the Duck well. So I hope that Marvel does do another Howard the Duck, and does him proud."
The interviewer then asked if we were going to see her appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe any time soon, and that's when Thompson revealed her plans:
"I don't know. To tell you the actual truth, I am going to Marvel to pitch Howard the Duck, a new movie...in like three weeks. I want to direct the Howard the Duck remake [laughs]. Why not dream big, right?"
Do We Need A New Howard The Duck Movie?
While your first instinct may be to scoff at the idea at another movie centered around this character, it's worth noting that the original comics are very well-regarded and the recent revival that began in 2015 (and even featured Thompson's likeness) was critically acclaimed. So even though Seth Green, who voiced Howard in the Guardians films, said that there were no plans for a new movie a few years ago, the studio might be open to the idea now. Remember, we know Marvel Studios is interested in further exploration of the cosmic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Avengers 4, so a new Howard film may be a good fit – maybe Cosmo the Spacedog could be his sidekick as the pair travel throughout the universe. Hey, it wouldn't be any weirder than a movie about a raccoon and a talking tree.
As for Thompson actually directing a Howard movie, that may have been unthinkable a few years back, but Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was just quoted as saying that the next 20 Marvel Studios movies might not all have female directors, "but a heck of a lot of them will." If her pitch goes well, maybe Thompson will be one of them.