Guardians Superfan Al Pacino Is Taking Marvel Meetings

This past September, legendary actor Al Pacino made headlines when he heaped praise on to the James Gunn film Guardians of the Galaxy. Making note of everything from the 1970s-infused soundtrack to Shakespearean elements in the drama, the Godfather star revealed himself as a big fan of what's going on at Marvel, and even hinted that he would be very interested in working with them. Apparently in the months since then that idea has gained some momentum, as Pacino has revealed that he has spoken with folks over at the comic book movie studio.

The actor was recently a guest on the MTV-hosted Happy, Sad Confused podcast, and while further discussing his appreciation of Marvel he revealed that he has had the chance to take a meeting with folks at the studio. Apparently he has had the chance to talk with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige about an opportunity to do something down the line - though he also adds that as of now there is nothing necessarily in the works. Asked if he could see himself eventually doing a Marvel Studios film, Pacino first started to respond, "I imagine that if [Kevin Feige] feels there's something right for me..." but he was cut off by his ringing phone. He laughed it off, saying, "Every time we talk about Marvel, that’s what happens."

Of course, doing a Marvel Studios film wouldn't be the first time that Al Pacino ever did a comic book movie. Back in 1990 he was enlisted by Warren Beatty to play the villainous gangster Big Boy Caprice in Dick Tracy, and he was so damn good in the picture that it even earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor (though he wound up losing to Joe Pesci's explosive performance in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas).

Big Boy Caprice

But doing a Marvel movie would give Al Pacino his first opportunity to be in a superhero film, and it's definitely interesting to contemplate the possibilities. Given that the actor is now 74 years old, it's pretty hard to believe that he will be kicking ass as a crimefighter, but there's an endless number of supporting characters in the Marvel Universe who Pacino could wind up playing. One could easily see him playing a role akin to what Robert Redford did in Joe and Anthony Russo's Captain America: The Winter Soldier - which is to say that he can have a great deal of presence while really only having one appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

If you had your pick, which character from the pages of Marvel Comics do you think Al Pacino would be fit to play? Hit the comments to tell us your thoughts.

Eric Eisenberg
Assistant Managing Editor

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.