Marvel's Pitched Taylor Sheridan-Inspired Movie Is What The MCU Has Always Been Missing

Published Sep 9, 2026, 6:30 PM EDT Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release. He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years. Sign in to your ScreenRant account The Marvel Cinematic Universe has delivered 38 movies so far, but an unmade pitch inspired by a Taylor Sheridan movie shouldn't be ignored going forward. Throughout the nearly two-decade run of dominance at Marvel Studios, the franchise has rarely had issues with giving the masses movies they want to watch and enjoy. In every case, these superhero blockbusters take inspiration from other movies, whether that boils down to tones, character arcs, visuals, fights, and so on. Captain America: The Winter Soldier was the MCU's take on political thrillers like 3 Days of the Condor, while Spider-Man: Homecoming drew from John Hughes coming-of-age movies like The Breakfast Club. These comparisons are often a great way to sell a Marvel movie at its basic pitch, and that's what Sebastian Stan has tried to do now. The Winter Soldier actor revealed in an interview that he pitched Kevin Feige on a Bucky Barnes movie done like Sicario, Taylor Sheridan's excellent 2015 action crime thriller. The basic idea is Bucky seeking out someone from his past in a low-budget thriller. Stan says that Feige only "humored" him by saying, "Yeah, that sounds cool," rather than really considering adding this to the slate of MCU movies in development. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be any real traction behind the idea. Stan's idea for a Sicario-inspired movie about Bucky is exactly what the MCU has avoided since its inception. The MCU Has Never Tried Lower-Budget Genre Movies, Only Blockbusters Image by MovieStillsdb.com As a general pitch, Stan wanting to make a low-budget Bucky movie in the vein of a Taylor Sheridan thriller makes a lot of sense. He's an actor who is still ascending in Hollywood despite having spent 15 years playing the Winter Soldier. Bucky is a beloved character, too. But more importantly, doing it for a smaller cost would maximize Marvel and Disney's opportunity for the film to be viewed as a success. The issue for Stan, though, is that the MCU has never shown any interest in this approach. Marvel Studios has only ever made expensive superhero movies, with the scope and costs associated with their films increasing over the years. The MCU wants to entertain audiences on a scale that most other movies and franchises can't, and the box office reflects audiences wanting these gigantic event films, too. The lowest budget a Marvel Studios movie has ever received was Ant-Man's $130 million. To put that into perspective, Sicario was made for just $30 million. That $100 million difference shows that even the MCU's "lower cost" movies are still substantially more expensive than other Hollywood standalone genre films. Marvel Studios Should Embrace Lower Budget Movies Going Forward Blockbusters will always be the MCU's bread and butter. That will never change. Marvel and Disney (and all of Hollywood, including theater chains) need massive event films like Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. However, there should be room for these types of lower-budget movies, too. It's one of the simplest ways Marvel can fix a growing concern. MCU movies have gotten more expensive as time has gone on, and that has just added more pressure to their box office performances. Stan's last appearance in Thunderbolts* was viewed as a bit of a box office disappointment after grossing $382 million due to its $180 million cost. Some of its action and effects might not have been achievable with a substantially smaller budget, but a lower cost would've made Thunderbolts* closer to the A24 movie it tried to be. Rather than try to keep increasing the scale and hoping each movie makes it close to $1 billion, Marvel could make multiple movies like Stan's Sicario-inspired pitch for the price of a single blockbuster. These films could be profitable for Marvel and Disney after making just $100 million worldwide, depending on how low the budgets were. At a time when the MCU's box office power has become more inconsistent, this would be a smart approach. DC Studios is already doing this with Clayface, a $40 million horror movie that hits theaters next month. Perhaps that film finding success will be what propels Marvel Studios to embrace smaller budgets, giving audiences thrillers, horror movies, crime movies, action movies, rom-coms, and more that don't carry massive weight to be box office juggernauts. The MCU Needs Movies Like Sebastian Stan's Winter Soldier Meets Sicario Pitch To Expand Beyond the financial appeal that lower-budget movies should have for Marvel Studios, something like Stan's pitch is a great way to diversify the types of movies MCU fans can get. These projects could be easier to get greenlit with an R-rating in mind. But even if they wound up being PG-13 still, they would come with the freedom to be more character-focused and less reliant on spectacle. This could deliver movies that are more geared toward adults. The typical MCU movie appeals to audiences of all ages, and that should be the case. But there have also been fans who have grown up with the franchise, those who were children when it started and will be full-grown adults by the time Avengers: Secret Wars resets the franchise. Naturally, their tastes expand beyond the typical MCU style. What better way for the MCU to retain its fans and show a whole new side of the franchise than to make lower-budget movies like Stan's Sicario-like movie for Bucky? It would be something completely new for the franchise. Those who have lost interest in the world could come back. Furthermore, if one of these lower-budget movies were done for a new character, it could be an entry point for new fans who like the specific genre Marvel tackles. Marvel has already started figuring out its post-Secret Wars slate, and it's all blockbusters so far: X-Men, Ghost Rider, and Black Panther 3. Rather than try to maintain an Avengers-level scale going forward, the MCU should take a step down and look at these lower-cost productions. Whether they would star familiar characters like Bucky or new ones like some mutants, it's worth exploring for Marvel Studios. If they do, hopefully Stan's idea gets more serious consideration. Seeing a Bucky-driven movie in the vein of Sicario sounds great, and there's no doubt that the actor could deliver. And given the character's popularity with MCU fans, there is a higher chance Marvel Studios could actually see the movie become a solid box office hit. Movie(s) Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, ​The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far from Home, Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever , Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, Deadpool & Wolverine, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, Werewolf by Night , The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, The Punisher: One Last Kill TV Show(s) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Inhumans, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If...?, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Secret Invasion, Agatha All Along, Ironheart, Daredevil: Born Again, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Wonder Man, Echo, Marvel Zombies, Eyes of Wakanda First Film Iron Man First TV Show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Cast Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Simu Liu, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Barry Keoghan, Gemma Chan, Ma Dong-seok, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Jonathan Majors Director Jon Favreau, Joss Whedon, Shane Black, Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, James Gunn, Peyton Reed, Taika Waititi, Ryan Coogler