After being hit with some of the lowest box office domestic and worldwide collections for the past few projects, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been hit with yet another setback as Destin Daniel Cretton bids farewell to his role as the director of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Cretton’s decision to step down from the project comes as a surprise to many fans, especially considering his previous success with the studio was when he directed Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which was released in 2021 based on Marvel Comics and featured the character Shang-Chi.
Reports by Deadline have confirmed that the American filmmaker made the decision to focus on his other Marvel projects, making the exit amicable, as Cretton remains fully in the Marvel Studios family. As of writing this, it has been reported that Cretton is in constant talks with Marvel Studios about directing future movies.
He is currently busy on the Marvel Studios/Disney+ miniseries Wonder Man, which he co-created with Andrew Guest, who serves as showrunner. Cretton EPs the series and also directed the first two episodes.
On the other hand, the filmmaker is also currently working on the sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. So, it’s fair to say that the filmmaker is still booked and busy with many projects associated with the MCU. Sadly, his skills won’t be seen in Avengers: Kang Dynasty, as the movie’s release is far away from its theatrical schedule, which is dated to commence sometime around the summer on May 1, 2026.
The movie will lead up to Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027, which will wrap up the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 6 features.
Cretton has been attached to this project since last year, with the news announced on the heels of San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022. Furthermore, he isn’t the only one who has left the project because, if you recall, back in September, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) writer Jeff Loveness was revealed to be writing the screenplay but was no longer involved by November 2023, when Cretton exited the film.
In addition to this, Jonathan Majors’s casting has also raised questions due to the assault allegations, as it’s not been confirmed if he has been removed from the role or not.
Right now, he is attached to reprise his role as Kang the Conqueror in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, with filming scheduled to begin in early 2024. Majors, 34, debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ series Loki as “He Who Remains.” Previously, he portrayed Kang the Conqueror and several other variants of the character in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Loki season 2.