Quentin Tarantino Says Filmmakers Can’t Wait for the Day Superheroes Films Become Obsolete

Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

Director Quentin Tarantino held nothing back when discussing the rise of superhero films and the idea of directing one of his own, during a recent interview.

Speaking exclusively with the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday, Tarantino promoted his new book, Cinema Speculation, which takes a deep dive into the director’s favorite films.

Writer Glenn Whipp asked why the acclaimed director has yet to jump into the world of superheroes, which currently dominates the box office.

“You have to be a hired hand to do those things,” Tarantino said, “I’m not a hired hand. I’m not looking for a job.”

He revealed the genre is not one of his favorites to begin with and he prefers movies along the lines of George Lucas’ Star Wars or Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Tarantino remarked that in the same way professionals celebrated the fall of musical adaptations in the 1960’s, filmmakers in today’s industry “can’t wait for the day they can say that about superhero movies.”

When pressed on when that time would come, the director replied that he expected it could be a while before the shift occurs. “The writing’s not quite on the wall yet,” he said.

Superhero films have dominated the box offices over the last decade and this year alone, Marvel and DC Comics have produced two of the top five highest grossing films of 2022.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness from Disney and Marvel Comics, is the third highest grossing film, generating $955,775,804 worldwide according to Box Office Mojo.

Similarly, The Batman produced by Warner Brothers and DC Comics takes the fifth spot with $770,836,163.

Marvel Comics has already announced release dates for more films all the way into May 2026.