Marvel approached Lynn Shelton to direct ‘Black Widow’

Los Angeles, March 11 (IANS) "Laggies" director Lynn Shelton has revealed that she was previously in early talks with Marvel to possibly take on the "Black Widow" standalone movie.

After two or three "long conversations" with Marvel, Shelton was considering "throwing her hat in the ring" to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), reports variety.com.

"They talked to me, I think, early rounds," Shelton said. "They were looking at women, maybe men too, but I know a couple women directors they were also talking to about 'Black Widow' and the other one was the one that Chloe (director Chloe Zhao) got," Shelton said at a panel.

So why the current interest in indie filmmakers?

"They're smart about character and story, they want people who are good with actors," Shelton said.

The director even revealed that Marvel was ready to help out with action scenes and told her not to worry about it.

Although previously adverse to working with larger studios, Shelton explained how directing television content helped change her mind.

"I really wanted to save my body of work in cinema. To have total creative control and to really be able to make exactly what I wanted to make. Which is what making movies at the level that we've been making movies at allows you to do. Which is amazing," she said.

Working in television may have originally started off as a way for Shelton to pay the bills so she could still keep making movies that were her "babies", but ultimately the director learned she enjoyed the collaboration.

And the experience has opened her up to working with bigger studios.

"As long as there's a script you're interested in... it would be more along the lines of directing a pilot.

"You'd have to answer to MCU, or whatever, but as long as you had enough of a say and you're really bringing your s**t to the playground as well... it might be a really interesting experience."