Body horror meets Black Widow? The Substance director reportedly turned down the Marvel movie to focus on her award-winning horror

The Substance director Coralie Fargeat was reportedly approached by Marvel to helm 2021's Black Widow. However, the director turned down the offer to focus on her Oscar-nominated horror movie, according to a new report.

Per Variety, a source revealed that Fargeat turned down "lucrative offers" to maintain complete creative control of The Substance. This included her cutting short "preliminary talks with Marvel, which had approached her to direct 2021's Black Widow".

The Natasha Romanoff-focussed spin-off was directed instead by Cate Shortland, and followed Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow during the events of Captain America: Civil War. Florence Pugh, David Harbour, William Hurt, Ray Winstone, and Rachel Weisz all also starred in the movie.

Fargeat, meanwhile, remained focused on her body horror The Substance. It stars Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle, an actor who decides to take a black market drug after being fired over her age. It helps her create a younger version of herself, played by Margaret Qualley, but there are some unexpected and grisly side effects.

"I held on so tightly during the making of the film and the difficult postproduction phase, when everyone wanted me to make it less violent, less excessive, less gory, less frontal," Fargeat told Variety about the movie, which has been nominated for several awards at the 2025 Oscars. "I knew that I had written this film to be more than – or at least at the same level as – what I’m denouncing in the film."

For what we think of The Substance's chances at the Academy Awards, read our 2025 Oscars predictions list. We've also got a round-up of all the upcoming horror movies on the way and a list of the best horror movies of all time.