What If LEA THOMPSON Directed HOWARD THE DUCK?
In a Tweet sent on Thursday, July 8th, 2021, Lea Thompson reacted to “Howard the Duck” trending on Twitter (thanks to What If…?) by asking, “What If… I directed a Howard the Duck movie?”
I see #HowardTheDuck is trending #3. That’s awesome. #i love my duck #WhatIf I get to direct @Marvel reboot.
— Lea Thompson (@LeaKThompson) July 8, 2021
The Right Woman for the Job
Thompson became inextricably linked to Howard the Duck thanks to the 1986 live action movie, in which she rocked as his girlfriend. But what do you do when no one can hear your name without bringing up comics?
In the mid-1990s, Thompson took advantage of the fact that she had been forever linked with Marvel Comics by starring in Caroline in the City. The sitcom debuted on NBC in September 1995 and ran for four seasons.
Lea Thompson in Caroline in the City. Photo: CBS/Getty Images
Caroline in the City starred Thompson in the eponymous role of Caroline Duffy, a newspaper cartoonist (the cast of characters also included her comic coworkers, comics colorist Richard and her ex-boyfriend Del, who runs a greeting card company that features Caroline’s comic art). In the series, Caroline is shown to be a successful cartoonist, with many people recognizing her work, and there was even an episode where a Thanksgiving Day parade float commemorated her comic.
Since then, Thompson has become an accomplished director. She’s directed episodes of The Goldbergs, and has even directed work based on comic books, thanks to her work directing episodes of Stargirl and Katy Keene. Could there be a more perfect candidate for a Howard the Duck movie?
What is this a crossover episode? Thompson and Lucy Hale behind-the-scenes on Katy Keene. Photo: JustJared
But WAUGH, There’s More
Lest you think that Thompson has ever turned her back on Howard in the years since she appeared in the movie… think again!
First of all, one of the very first episodes of Caroline in the City contains a winking reference to Howard the Duck (and Blockbuster Video… which many readers may only remember from Captain Marvel).
Thompson poses up for Throw Back Thursday at the ‘Dancing With The Stars’ dance rehearsal studio in Hollywood. Picture by: AKM-GSI
But more recently, Thompson appeared in Howard the Duck (2015) #8 – 9 by Chip Zdarsky, Joe Quinones, Joe Rivera, Raolo Rivera, Jordan Gibson, and Travis Lanham. In issue 8, Howard reconnects with Beverly Switzler, the Marvel character portrayed by Thompson in the 1986 movie, and the last-page reveal is none other than Thompson herself!
The world deserves Howard the Duck in live-action, helmed by @LeaKThompson https://t.co/6gqfSBa4Y8 pic.twitter.com/xgRt7CmCHe
— Joe Quinones (@Joe_Quinones) July 9, 2021
Then, in Howard the Duck #9, “Lea Thompson Needs Help,” Howard must help the actor with a meta-mission that doesn’t just break the fourth wall, it shatters it and stomps on the pieces.
People from our world in the Marvel Universe? Who would have thunk it? The simple answer: Gwen Poole!
Howard the Duck #8. Photo: Marvel Comics
You can read both issues (and the rest of this run of Howard the Duck, which crosses over with The Unbeatable Squirrel-Girl) on Marvel Unlimited right now, Marvel Blog True Believers! I suggest you check out, no matter what some people say about this interpretation of the character – as Del says in Caroline in the City, the movie was underrated!
Trapped in a World He’s Grown Accustomed To
What do you think about a potential Howard the Duck movie directed by Thompson? Do you hope we see more of Howard in Phase Four? Let us know what you think in the comment section!
