Seth Rogen reveals why he avoids Marvel and DC projects: It’s a fear of the process

In a recent interview with Polygon, actor-writer-producer Seth Rogen, who is gearing up for the release of his animated movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, explained why he avoids teaming up with major movie franchises like Marvel and DC for adaptations of their comics. Rogen, who has been a writer for two decades alongside Evan Goldberg, revealed that fear plays a significant role in their decision-making process. While he acknowledges his admiration for many Marvel properties, he admits to a fear of the established system and infrastructure these franchises have in place.

He said that he and Goldberg prefer to have more control and creative freedom in the projects they take on, dictating the process and infrastructure themselves. “We really have a pretty specific way we work; me and Evan [Goldberg] have been writers for 20 years at this point. It’s a fear of the process, honestly. And I say that knowing nothing about the process. There are a lot of Marvel things I love.”

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He added, "It’s mostly a fear of how would we plug into the system they have in place, which seems like a very good system, and a system that serves them very well. But is it a system that we would ultimately get really frustrated with? So we dictated the system, and we dictated the process in a lot of ways. And that’s what’s also appealing for us about The Boys and the other bigger franchise-y type things we’ve done, is that we are creating the infrastructure and process for them, not plugging into someone else’s infrastructure and process. We’re control freaks!”

The case of Edgar Wright and Ant-Man

There have been talented filmmakers who refused to collaborate with Marvel due to a similar lack of creative control. Edgar Wright was originally attached to direct the film Ant-Man for MCU. He had been involved in the development of the movie for years and was even part of the initial team that laid the groundwork for the film.

However, creative differences emerged between Wright and Marvel Studios during the pre-production phase. Wright's vision for Ant-Man was said to be more stylistically distinct and driven by his unique directorial approach. Marvel's desire to ensure cohesion within the larger MCU and their vision for the character didn't entirely align with Wright's ideas.

Wright and Marvel parted ways in May 2014, just a few months before the film's scheduled production. Peyton Reed ultimately took over as director, and Ant-Man was released in 2015. The film got two more sequels.

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