It's been six years since the release of THE CABIN IN THE WOODS, but Drew Goddard has finally returned to the director's chair with BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE (now playing in theaters). It's an exciting return but Goddard's next project could see him tackle the world of superheroes as he's slated to write and direct X-FORCE for 20th Century Fox, but it remains to be seen how the Disney/Fox merger will affect that film. The director has previously said that the X-FORCE film will put the focus on Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), Cable (Josh Brolin), and Domino (Zazie Beetz), the three X-Force characters who he says he's loved since he was a child. While speaking with THR recently, Drew Goddard said that the X-Force comics arrived at a perfect time in his life.
"For me, it all starts with the source material. X-Men and Daredevil were the two. That's who was hanging on my walls as a teenager. I came of age in the late '80s, '90s. So I was there when X-Force hit. This was the early '90s, when everything had multiple covers," Goddard said. "I still have them in a box in my garage. The thing that was exciting about X-Force, in particular, was the fringe element of what X-Force was to the X-Men. I still feel like there is real opportunity to explore that. What Deadpool is to the superhero movie, X-Force can be to the team superhero movie. Similarly, I just want to work with Ryan. I just want to work with Josh. I just want to work with Zazie. I just want to work with them. They are very exciting, wonderful artists and that's the other side of this that makes it fun." Goddard also praised Ryan Reynolds' take on Deadpool, especially his ability to switch tones drastically to great effect.
The thing I loved about that first Deadpool is it was incredibly heartfelt at times. That's the secret weapon of that first movie. The big, bombastic fun is very much there and it's what you sort of remember, but I don't think that movie works without the love story that's at its heart. The genuine pain that Ryan is in, in that movie really resonates. I love that you get to do both.
After Sony Pictures relaunched the Spider-Man franchise with THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, they quickly began work on expanding their Spidey franchise with a series of spin-offs, including a Sinister Six film focusing on Spider-Man villains Doctor Octopus, Electro, Sandman, Mysterio, Vulture, and Kraven the Hunter. Drew Goddard was slated to write and direct the SINISTER SIX film, but the reaction towards AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 brought an end to Sony's ambitious plans. With the recent release of VENOM, the studio is taking another shot at their own little Marvel universe, and Goddard believes that the SINISTER SIX project could still see the light of day.
It was really fun. I wouldn't have done it had I not thought there was a real opportunity to do something different and exciting and just flat-out bananas. It was very much me and — a much more commercial version of — the Cabin mentality. The punk rock mentality that led to Cabin is very much at the core of Sinister Six. That's a fun one. Who knows, it could see the light of day. It's funny, I've been through a lot of volatility at a lot of different studios. Between MGM and Sony and Fox. At a certain point, you start to realize, "Oh, this is just a volatile business" and you try to stay afloat as the boat rocks back and forth.
BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE is now playing in theaters, so be sure to check out a review from our own Chris Bumbray.