Emily Blunt Gives Superhero Movies A Big Thumbs Down
Emily Blunt is not a fan of capes.
This article is more than 2 years old
Emily Blunt rose to fame with a memorable performance in 2006’s The Devil Wears Prada and has gone on to star in movies like Edge of Tomorrow, Into the Woods, Mary Poppins Returns, A Quiet Place, and much more. Eventually, her impressive list of movie credits caught the eye of Marvel Studios bosses who offered her roles as Agent Peggy Carter and Black Widow. She was also one of the early names touted to play Captain Marvel.
But a constant string of scheduling conflicts prevented Emily Blunt from accepting any of these roles. Since then, her fans have been hoping to see the actress suit up as Sue Storm in the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot. Unfortunately, Blunt has made it clear that superhero roles aren’t really on her radar anymore. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Blunt reiterated the sentiment…
“I really understand that [superhero movies] are like a religion for a lot of people. They don’t appeal to me in the same way. I don’t have this burning desire to play a superhero.”
Emily Blunt’s latest thoughts on superhero movies echoed the comments she made on the Howard Stern Show in May. When asked about rumors of her casting in Fantastic Four, the Quiet Place star said she didn’t know if superhero movies are for her. She then went on to explain why…
“I really don’t… It’s been exhausted. We are inundated-it’s not only all the movies, it’s the endless TV shows as well. It’s not to say that I’d never want to play one, it would just have to be something so cool and like a really cool character, and then I’d be interested.”
Interestingly, her husband John Krasinksi has been more open to the idea of playing Mr. Fantastic. So his casting in Fantastic Four is still not outside the realm of possibility. While Emily Blunt is well aware of the fan interest, she just isn’t intrigued by the idea of playing the Invisible Woman.
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Fantastic Four made their comic book debut in 1961 and helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium. Since their introduction, Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and Thing have been portrayed as a somewhat dysfunctional, yet loving, family. Breaking convention with other comic book archetypes of the time, they would squabble and hold grudges, and eschewed anonymity in favor of celebrity status.
The Fantastic Four have received various film adaptations in the past, including Tim Story’s 2005 movie which starred Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, and Julian McMahon. It was followed by a sequel, Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer in 2007. The title was rebooted in 2015 but the film, directed by Josh Trank, was slammed by fans and critics.
In 2019, Marvel Studios regained the movie rights to Fantastic Four after the Walt Disney Company acquired 21st Century Fox. Jon Watts is currently set to direct the film starring Marvel’s first family. After the acquisition, the existing Fantastic Four films were rebranded as “Marvel legacy titles” on Disney+ and separated from Marvel Cinematic Universe titles.
Meanwhile, Emily Blunt can be seen starring alongside Dwayne Johnson in the fantasy adventure film Jungle Cruise. Set during the early 20th century the story follows Frank, a riverboat captain who takes a British scientist and her brother on a mission into a jungle to find the Tree of Life, which is believed to possess healing powers that could benefit modern medicine. Throughout their journey, the trio is faced with dangerous wild animals, a hot and deadly environment, and a competing German expedition that is determined to find the tree first.
Jungle Cruise is scheduled for release in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access on July 30th.
