The Willard Huyck Howard the Duck movie has long been a pop-culture punchline, but in recent years the film has garnered a cult following and the character's cameo appearances in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, as well as his recently celebrated comic title, has led to speculation that we could see a new cinematic outing for the Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik created waterfowl.
A recent rumor emerged to this effect last year only for Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn to debunk it Despite this, however, talk of a new Howard the Duck feature is again in the ether as the original film's star Lea Thompson reveals in a new interview with Iquisitr that she has plans to pitch Marvel Studios on the idea.
KT: Speaking of ‘Howard the Duck,’ I know you lent your lovely likeness to the comic a couple of years ago, but since he, Howard himself is breaking back into the Marvel Universe in a few cameos, are we going to see Lea Thompson going there any time soon?
LT: Oh my god, from your lips to God’s ears. I don’t know. To tell you the actual truth, I am going to Marvel to pitch ‘Howard the Duck,’ a new movie.
KT: Really?
LT: Uh-huh.
KT: Wow.
LT: In like three weeks. I want to direct the ‘Howard the Duck’ remake [laughs]. Why not dream big, right?
The J.Edgar actress also spoke about the reception the film famously garnered upon release, and how it has joined the annals of those movies deemed "so bad it's good". A fact that Thompson doesn't seem at all bothered by revealing that she's often told by many people that they're the only people to like it.
You know, ‘Howard the Duck’ is so beloved, for being so maligned. I go to conventions, I go to do ‘Back to the Future’ panels with Michael Fox and Chris Lloyd and Tom Wilson. I sit there and I meet the fans, and a good one-third of them say ‘I am the only person who liked ‘Howard the Duck.” It’s hilarious. And then they keep making new Blu-rays for it.
Thompson's feature-length film directorial debut The Year of Spectacular Men hits theatres this week so the chances that Marvel would allow her to direct a Howard the Duck film no matter how hypothetical is unlikely but it's not impossible that her devotion and passion in the meeting room could lead to a new film version of the character we could be looking at something very unique.
Whether Thompson does in fact pitch a reboot when she meets with Marvel remains to be seen, but the fact that the actress is meeting with them at all is certainly interesting. Could we see Lea Thompson join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in some capacity? Only time will tell.
What do you think? Would you like to see a new Howard the Duck film? Do you want to see Thompson in a Marvel movie? Who could she play? Leave your thoughts below.