It’s official: Destin Daniel Cretton will be directing a new Avengers release for Marvel, to debut in 2025. The film, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is the fifth in the series. The new project was revealed on Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con.
Cretton recently directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which grossed $432 in worldwide revenues and became an iconic property for Marvel. It was not announced who the screenwriter or cast would be for The Kang Dynasty, but a release date of May 2, 2025 was confirmed.
The studio also announced that Avengers: Secret Wars would be opening on November 7 of that year, though its director has not yet been revealed.
With his new project underway, Cretton is solidifying his relationship with Marvel. In 2021, he signed a deal with Marvel Studios and Onyx Collective to work on various films, including a sequel to Shang-Chi as well as a Wonder Man series for Disney+. Andrew Guest (Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Community) is head writer for that series.
Before Shang-Chi, Cretton garnered laurels for directing Short Term 12, an indie drama released in 2009 that he made while a student at San Diego State University. The film, based on his experience working with troubled teenagers, won a Sundance award and served as a career-changing vehicle for star Brie Larson, who has since appeared in other Cretton films, including The Glass Castle (2017) and Just Mercy (2019). Cretton’s feature debut, I Am Not a Hipster (2012) won critical accolades at South by Southwest and Sundance.
At the Shangi-Chi premiere, Cretton told Variety that “The group of people who are behind the studio and behind this movie, they’re incredible special and supportive. Really, they’re like kids — they love to explore. They’re curious about each scene. … And it’s all out of the love of all these fans. Every decision we made was to try to put together the best thing for all these fans.”