The only superhero movie Cameron Crowe could be talked into making: “I think it’s cool”
From hanging out with legendary rock bands in his teens to helping bring grunge to the mainstream to winning an Academy Award, Cameron Crowe has led quite the life.
After earning a writing credit on Amy Heckerling’s classic teen flick Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Crowe went on to make his solo directorial debut at the age of 32. While he hasn’t released a feature film since 2015, he is still a firm favourite with fans who remember when he was one of the most exciting creatives on the planet.
One route back into the public eye could be to make a superhero movie. A number of acclaimed arthouse filmmakers have stepped into this realm over the past few years. Chloé Zhao’s first film after winning ‘Best Picture’ for Nomadland was Marvel’s Eternals, although she’d prefer it if you didn’t bring that up.
Taika Waititi and Ryan Coogler all rose to international fame as part of the MCU, while Josh Trank was hired to make Fan4stic after the success of his indie superhero flick Chronicle. Again, that didn’t end very well for him, but the point still stands.
In an interview with his old employer, Rolling Stone, Crowe was asked about the potential of working with either DC or Marvel. When interviewer Brian Hiatt brought up the idea of making a film about the Marvel character Dazzler, his eyes lit up.
“Throw me a Dazzler movie!” he exclaimed, “Let’s do it”.
First debuting back in 1980, Dazzler is the alter ego of mutant singer Alison Blaire, whose powers give her the ability to convert sound into powerful energy beams, which she incorporates into her act. She is affiliated with the X-Men, receiving her own 42-issue solo series and is considered something of a gay icon among comic book fans, despite not being queer herself.
Hiatt mentioned to Crowe that fans have long speculated who could play Dazzler in a standalone film, and while a number of real-life musicians, including Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, have been recommended over the years, only one name has really caught Crowe’s eye.
“I’m feeling Dua Lipa for this,” he said, “Tomorrow I’ll be like, ‘Yeah, I’ve been thinking about Dua for Dazzler, you know, I’ve been thinking about this for a while’. And giving you no credit. No, no, I think it’s cool. Doing a movie like that could be a blast. You can have character development and all that deep stuff, and also have spectacle. You can do it. And it’s heading there, clearly.”
Dazzler has actually appeared in a Marvel movie, although it’s not one she should be particularly proud of. She made a very brief cameo appearance in the 2019 movie Dark Phoenix, where Halston Sage depicted her as a young student at Charles Xavier’s school, but unfortunately, the film is widely regarded as one of the worst superhero movies ever made, and while a number of solo projects have been proposed over the years, including one starring Bo Derek, nothing has come to pass.
