RUMOR: Marvel’s Chris Evans May Direct Episodes of Disney+ Shows
A while ago, it was rumored that Marvel Cinematic Universe actor Chris Evans may come back to play Captain America after his contract expires with Avengers: Endgame. However, the truth might be a little more complicated, as Evans may instead be working behind the camera at Marvel Studios.
A while ago, USA Today asked Avengers: Endgame co-director Joe Russo about Evans’s then-recent statement that he’d finished work on Avengers: Endgame, and some presumed that this also meant he was finished working with Marvel, period, even if that wasn’t necessarily the case. Russo offered a cryptic answer in response:
“I think it was more emotional for [Chris Evans] than it was for us, mostly cause he’s not done yet. I don’t want to explain what I mean, but audiences will soon understand.”
Some took this as a sign that Evans will return as Captain America years from now, after Winter Soldier, Falcon, or both characters assume the title in Cap’s place. But rumor has it that Evans will be contributing to Marvel in a different capacity going forward: as a director. Amid a conversation speculating on how various Marvel superheroes could be resurrected in the event of a conventional death, journalist Jim Hill shared a tidbit that he’d heard about regarding Evans’s place in the MCU going forward:
Interesting new development on the Chris Evans front … To keep him on the reservation, so to speak, after "Endgame," Kevin Feige has supposedly offered him the opportunity to direct a few episodes of those limited series that Marvel Studios is prepping for Disney +.
— Jim Hill Media (@JimHillMedia) February 2, 2019
This move would actually not be too surprising, should it happen. Evans has stated that he’s been interested in getting in the field of directing for quite some time, dipping his toes into the field with the low-budget drama Before We Go. Though he’s said he’d like to get away from the stresses of being a Hollywood action star for a while, there’s no question that his involvement with the MCU has led to some of the best opportunities of his career. So he could still be involved without having to carry an entire film franchise upon his shoulders (especially with the likelihood that a legacy character, or characters, will take center stage with the Captain America film franchise going forward).
If Evans gets involved with the Disney+ shows, then the best fit for his background as an MCU actor would have to be Falcon and the Winter Soldier, a show about his two sidekicks across his film trilogy and the Thanos duology of Avengers movies. The rumored pitch of the series indicates that Captain America will not appear for one reason or another, but that wouldn’t rule out the possibility that they could get creative and have him film a few flashbacks and do a few recordings before the main events of the show. Another possibility is that Evans could be involved with the development of the rumored Wolverine prequel series. While that alleged pitch for a show can’t start development until the Disney-Fox merger has finalized, Wolverine’s past involves his military service in World War II, and it would be incredibly easy to find a way to write Captain America into that. So if Evans suited-up again for a period-piece story, perhaps it’d save Marvel a lot of trouble if he had a reason to be on the set in the first place.
In any case, if Joe Russo was speaking truthfully, then we won’t have long to wait until we understand what the future holds Chris Evans in the MCU.
Current projects confirmed to be in development for Disney+ include Loki, The Vision and Scarlet Witch, and Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Numerous other projects are rumored to be in development.
Grant Davis is a freelance writer who has covered entertainment news for more than seven years. His articles have frequently appeared in Star Wars News Net as well as as other entertainment-related websites. As someone who grew up on Star Wars and comic book movies, he’s completely thrilled with the current era of genre entertainment.
