Logan Director Slams Multiverse Movies in New Interview

As Deadpool & Wolverine sets out to break the bank this weekend across movie theaters worldwide, a preview of Timothée Chalamet transforming into Bob Dylan in the first teaser for A Complete Unknown hits the internet.

What's the relationship between Marvel and a Bob Dylan biopic? James Mangold, who directed Hugh Jackman in The Wolverine and Logan .

While Mangold is no stranger to franchises, he's also known for intimate character pieces, particularly about real-life people such as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line and Ken Miles in Le Mans '66 .

This style is prevalent in his work with Marvel – during the 20th Century Fox X-Men era – particularly in Logan , which is revered for the father/daughter dynamic between Logan and X-23, which gave the franchise one of its most heartfelt moments to date.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone , Mangold took a little dig at Marvel by way of discussing his latest film, A Complete Unknown .

During the interview, the interviewer notes that Timothée Chalamet, as Dylan, was spotted in early set leaks holding a letter from Johnny Cash. As Mangold directed Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line , people speculated that there could be a multiverse-esque situation happening where Phoenix may reprise his role.

Mangold quickly shut that down with "I don't do multiverses".

"It's weird that I've even worked in the world of IP entertainment because I don't like multi-movie universe-building," Mangold continued. "I think it’s the enemy of storytelling. The death of storytelling. It's more interesting to people the way the Legos connect than the way the story works in front of us."

Deadpool & Wolverine also takes shots at multiverses during a pivotal moment in the film which is ironic considering how Marvel has built success off this very practice.

"For me, the goal becomes, always, “What is unique about this film, and these characters?” Not making you think about some other movie or some Easter egg or something else," Mangold told Rolling Stone, "which is all an intellectual act, not an emotional act. You want the movie to work on an emotional level."

So, it feels safe to say Mangold likely has no plans to return to Marvel in the same way Hugh Jackman did.