Many of you will likely know filmmaker Neil Marshall best for movies like Dog Soldiers, The Descent, and Doomsday before he shifted gears to television where he received widespread acclaim for helming episodes of Game of Thrones, Hannibal, and more.
On the superhero side, he worked on NBC's well-received (and, unfortunately, short-lived) Constantine TV series and later helmed 2019's Hellboy reboot starring David Harbour. Now, though, he's taken the helm of Duchess, an action-packed new British action-crime thriller starring - and co-written and produced by - Charlotte Kirk.
"It doesn't add pressure because I didn't necessarily set out to make an iconic character," Marshall tells us in the video below when asked about adding Scarlett, a.k.a. The Duchess, to the pantheon of iconic female action heroes. "It's in the back of your mind that it would be very nice if it happened and it still would be. That's going to be down to the audience and the public and their response to the movie."
"You can't plan for that, but certainly, just by creating a character like Scarlett in this kind of story, it has potential, I suppose. We'll see!"
As for whether he believes Duchess has franchise potential, the filmmaker added, "Sure. I think there's always a chance a character could go on...I've seen a few films that have deliberately set themselves up 'Part One' and something goes wrong with them, it doesn't work out, and it's such a shame. It's better to do this as a standalone and it could go on if necessary..."
You can check out the full interview in the player below (including more from Marshall on Hellboy and Constantine).
0:11 - What drew him to this genre
1:07 - Why Charlotte Kirk was the right person to play The Duchess
1:50 - The biggest challenge of creating the action scenes
3:06 - Adding to the roster of iconic female action heroes
3:57 - The decision to include narration in the movie
4:42 - Filling out the impressive supporting cast and Stephanie Beacham's unbelievable scene
6:15 - Exploring the world of diamond smuggling
7:25 - The movie's hard-hitting themes and violence against women
8:30 - Scarlett's transformation into The Duchess
9:19 - The importance of independent cinema
10:30 - Making 2019's Hellboy reboot
11:32 - Working on Constantine with Matt Ryan and a possible superhero movie return
12:33 - Duchess' unique setting
13:13 - The movie's sequel potential
Duchess, a small-time crook, tries to enter the treacherous underworld of diamond trafficking and ends up left for dead when a deal goes wrong. Determined to seek retribution she launches into an unwavering pursuit for vengeance.
Duchess will be available on Digital and On Demand on August 9.