Marvel Showrunners Bring On Destin Daniel Cretton To Direct 'Avengers: The Kang Dynasty'

Marvel has confirmed who will helm their upcoming film "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" during the recently concluded San Diego Comic-Con.

The event, a primary means of keeping fans abreast with details about upcoming films, saw Marvel share fresh news about movies in the works following the recent release of "Thor: Love and Thunder."

"Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" is expected to be one of the first movies released in Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

While many have previously speculated about who will direct the film, the media conglomerate announced that "Shang-Chi" filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton would helm the new picture, which will also star Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror.

Over the weekend, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed (as per Deadline) that the media house was greenlighting the production of a new action superhero thriller, "The Kang Dynasty."

The showrunners added that the upcoming film would be part one of the two-part conclusion to the Multiverse Saga, drawing parallels with 2018's "Avengers: Infinity War" and 2019's "Avengers: Endgame," which ended the run of the Infinity Saga.

The MCU veterans Anthony and Joe Russo directed those movies back-to-back, but Cretton will solely be in charge of "The Kang Dynasty," which will premiere on May 2, 2025.

There is still a possibility that the director will helm the sequel, "Avengers: Secret Wars," which is scheduled to debut six months later; however, that speculation was not confirmed at the Comic-Con event. Additionally, no news about the cast members for "The Kang Dynasty" has been shared. However, Majors' Kang the Conqueror, seen in the second season of the "Loki" series, will play a vital role in the film.

Helming "The Kang Dynasty" is not Cretton's first Marvel collaboration. The filmmaker previously directed Shang-Chi, which grossed almost half a billion dollars following its debut on August 16, 2021. It is safe to say that the film's success helped Cretton strike a major filmmaking contract with the media conglomerate.

The new deal will also allow Cretton to develop TV projects for both Marvel Studios on Disney Plus for streaming purposes. The filmmaker is already collaborating with "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" producer on a live-action series featuring Wonder Man – a super-powered character created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby.

Cretton will also return to direct a Shang-Chi sequel. Lead actor Simu Liu and comedian Awkwafina, who plays the protagonist's best friend, are expected to reprise their role; however, no plot details have been revealed by Marvel.

Before directing "Shang-Chi," Cretton helmed the 2013 indie drama "Short Term 12," starring "Captain Marvel" star Brie Larson, "The Glass Castle," once again featuring Larson opposite Michael B. Jordan, and the 2019 historical drama "Just Mercy."

Despite his already well-packed resume that evidenced his experience, Cretton confessed to Variety at the "Shang-Chi" premiere that he sought advice from several people, including "Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler while in talks with Marvel about directing the Asian superhero film.

"What really hung with me was something that Ryan told me, which was, yes, it is stressful, yes, there's a lot of pressure, but none of that comes from the people you are working with," Cretton recounted.

It remains to be seen if Cretton would pull off another box office hit with "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" when it debuts in the theatres.

In the meantime, Marvel fans anticipate the November debut of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," which will wrap up Phase 4. Following the death of the lead actor Chadwick Boseman, who played T'Challa / Black Panther, the showrunners chose not to recast the role in the upcoming sequel.

Shuri's Letitia Wright, who starred as T'Challa's sister, is expected to take on a more prominent role in "Black Panther 2." Also returning are Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Winston Duke as M'Baku, and other previous main cast members

For its next batch of movies, Marvel has confirmed that "Mogul Mowgli" filmmaker will direct the action thriller "Blade," which features Mahershala Ali as the titular character. Julius Onah will helm "Captain America: New World Order" while Jake Schreier (Paper Towns) directs "Thunderbolts."

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