Kevin Feige On Arranging The 'Marvel Cinematic Universe' & More

Kevin Feige On Arranging The 'Marvel Cinematic Universe' & More

Yet Another addition to many discussions with Marvel President, Kevin Feige, Movie Web has posted a bountiful of Iron Man 2, and overall Avengers news from the guy.

By DCMarvelFreshman - Apr 26, 2010 07:04 PM EST
Filed Under: Avengers
Source: Movie Web



Here is the final piece to Movie Web's exclusive interview with Marvel's President of Production, Kevin Fiege.

With constructing your new film, "Iron Man 2," can you talk about the challenging task of continuing to set up the "Marvel Film Universe" in this movie for future films like "The Avengers"?

Kevin Fiege: Well it is daunting but its fun. It's never been done before and that's kind of the spirit everybody's taking it in. The other filmmakers aren't used to getting actors from other movies that other filmmakers have cast, certain plot lines that are connected or certain locations that are connected but I think for the most part, in fact, entirely everyone was on board for it and thinks that its fun. Primarily because we've always remained consistent saying that the movie that we are making comes first. All of the connective tissue, all of that stuff is fun and is going to be very important if you want it to be. If the fans want to look further and find connections than they're there. There are a few big ones obviously, that hopefully the mainstream audience will able to follow as well. But the most important thing and I think the reason that all the filmmakers are on board is that their movies need to stand on their own. They need to have a fresh vision, a unique tone and the fact that they can interconnect if you want to follow those breadcrumbs is a bonus.



Is there a lot of pressure on the company to have films like "Captain America: The First Avenger" and "Thor" be huge hits in order to justify making "The Avengers," which you are clearly are already in pre-production on?

Kevin Fiege: Yes and I think that's one of the reasons that it hasn't been done before. I think that we are confident in the choices that we are making and the way we're making them. They all don't have to be Iron Man size hits. There are various budgets and various factors that go into how successful they need to be to make the next one. But creatively speaking I think it's going to be rewarding for people to follow these movies starting in 2008 up through The Avengers in 2012. But I wouldn't say that's its just all a road heading to The Avengers as an end point. For us every movie is about expanding the Marvel Universe and the idea of the Marvel Universe. My goal is that moviegoers have that same experience comic book readers had, that when you turn the page anybody can pop up and any other character can come into it. We're really suggesting, unlike all the other films that we've made prior to Iron Man, that each of these heroes are not the only heroes that exist in those worlds, which is really what Marvel Comics have always been about. So with The Avengers coming down the line we really look at each film as being more of expanding that mythology. With Iron Man 2 it's really about expanding Tony Stark's mythology, which if people watch some of the movies to come particularly Captain America, you will realize that Tony Stark's mythology is the Marvel mythology. He is connected to the other characters in ways that are subtle and not so subtle.

Is the current plan to have each film spawn it's own three-picture franchise and not just have "The Avengers" be a sequel to "Captain America" or "Iron Man 2"?

Kevin Fiege: Absolutely. If you look at the comics, there would be ten, twelve or fifteen issues and then there would be a crossover event. Then the characters would go back into their own books and then come over for another crossover event. And those crossover events always ... if you look at them, you look at "Secret Invasion" or "Civil War," you know you could just read the seven issues of "Civil War" and get it. With "Civil War" it starts with that explosion in the town and it's a self-contained story. You don't have to have read all the comics of all the other heroes for it to match up. If you have you'll see more and you will experience more but if you haven't it still works. That's our challenge when it comes to The Avengers and you nailed it, The Avengers is not Iron Man 3, its not Cap 2 and its not Thor 2. It's The Avengers #1.

How important was it to Marvel's overall plans to be able to sign Samuel L. Jackson to a nine-picture deal to appear as Nick Fury in "Iron Man 2," "The Avengers" and beyond?

Kevin Fiege: Well it's the importance of tying all the actors down. It doesn't mean that we're going to make all those movies but it means we can if the audience wants to see them. So you don't find yourself in a position of changing lots of things every time.



"Iron Man 2" introduces the character of Black Widow, who in the comics eventually became a member of "The Avengers," so will each new film introduce a new member of the team or will there be some new characters saved to be introduced only in "The Avengers" film?

Kevin Fiege: Well clearly Thor and Captain America will be the primary introductory characters but they'll be a few (new ones). The Avengers is really, you are dealing with Iron Man, Thor, Cap, Nick Fury and potentially the Hulk to some degree, that's a lot of characters right there. I think that there will be a few beyond that but the fun of The Avengers to me is not, "Hey, lets keep introducing characters." It's not, "Lets go into this room and it's another character, then we go into another room and there is another new character there." That's not the fun of The Avengers to me. That might happen once of twice but the fun is in these characters that you've seen sort of owning the room in their own film, and in their own adventures, and then how do they act when they are all on par together in one story. Will Tony Stark take an order from Steve Rodgers? Will Steve Rodgers want someone like Tony Stark on his team? Is Nick Fury going to be able to handle all these characters? How's he going to react? What the hell is Hulk doing? How is Tony Stark, who thinks that he knows everything about everything and certainly thinks that he knows everything about science and technology, going to react when somebody tells him about these other worlds? That's the interesting thing in The Avengers.

Is "The Avengers" film essentially going to be an adaptation of Mark Millar's "The Ultimates" from Ultimate Marvel, the companies imprint that features re-imagined and updated versions of the classic comic book characters?"

Kevin Fiege: No, I wouldn't say that it is going to be any more "The Ultimates" than it would be, depending on how nerdy you want to get sort of the classic 616 continuity. But it will be clearly the Nick Fury that we have introduced, which is right out of there. I think there will be some elements and "The Ultimates" is a great starting point because ten years ago publishing said, "Hey what if we started a new? How do we reintroduce these characters?" I think they did a very god job. The storylines and some of the tonality of "The Ultimates" I think isn't quite what we'll be doing. But there are a lot of good ideas in there.
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MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 4/26/2010, 8:12 PM
Don't let Lee see this! Good stuff MF. Sounds like Wasp and Pym might be long shots..maybe Hawkeye though...
InTylerWeTrust
InTylerWeTrust - 4/26/2010, 8:17 PM
Hawkeye, Pym, and Wasp FTW.
conformist21
conformist21 - 4/26/2010, 8:27 PM
need some bruce banner interaction, i hope that pulls through.

all we really need is Hawkeye as well.
it's risky to do wasp and ant-man, but hey it can happen.
fanboiii
fanboiii - 4/26/2010, 8:32 PM
I hope Marvel is willing to make movies that aren't all fun and lighthearted. They've been avoiding anything dramatic so far.
bleedthefreak
bleedthefreak - 4/26/2010, 8:53 PM
@evil40 sorry dude dont agree i never got into it maybe its just not my thing but a cartoon movie could work
BIGBMH
BIGBMH - 4/26/2010, 9:13 PM
This is all just so exciting. I would pay good money to be an extra in one of these movies just knowing what it's a part of.
TheQuestion
TheQuestion - 4/26/2010, 10:14 PM
Lighthearted isn't the word I would use. Fun? Action-packed? Hell yes.
continuezero
continuezero - 4/26/2010, 10:23 PM
Someone like Feige is the reason that Marvel Studios is so successful. He is a fan, he knows the source material and is knowledgeable in the his company and his product that he can make the right decisions. Unlike the losers over at Fox that simply make X Men and Spidey movies so they can keep the rights.

I look forward to a day when all franchises are united as one under Marvel Studios.
Upupandaway
Upupandaway - 4/26/2010, 11:01 PM
@fanboiii: Yeah, it sucks that Marvels movies have not been depressing. I enjoy going into a movie, being excited to see a new action flick, and leaving depressed and cynical because of all the hard drama. : )

Feige seems pretty giddy over all of these movies. I'm pretty sure the Pyms are going to be in the Avengers. He's been mentioning Edgar Wright a lot recently. I would bet they're talking about casting.
Paulley
Paulley - 4/27/2010, 2:23 AM
This is what i truley love about marvel Studio going ahead a shaping this whole universe in the movie medium.. the fact they are actually doing it and introducing they way we read comic into films its.. its just awe inspiring!!
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 4/27/2010, 3:29 AM
SEEN IT!!! : P

Heh heh.

Damn anyways pity they [frick]ed it up with crappy ULTI FURY but i wont go there, its done and dusted now!

HANK & JAN better be in AVENGERS or [frick]ing else!!!!

: /

: D

HAWKEYE i can wait for in AVENGERS 2 thats no biggie!

(Though CLINT was perfect for a cameo in IRON MAN 2!!!)

[frick]ing MARVEL should've done all this years ago, still better late than never! : P

Great stuff and HANK & JAN ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its not an AVENGERS movie if them two ain't in the first one!





Or NATHAN FILLION! ; D

(You know it makes sense!)

P.S. WAR MACHINE better not appear in AVENGERS 1, leave him for the sequel or 3 even! : P
pollix22
pollix22 - 4/27/2010, 4:04 AM
@LEE they couldn't have done this years ago, you would've gotten the Roger Corman Fantastic Four.

The timing is perfect for the technology available to make these movies look perfect.

goldilocks
goldilocks - 4/27/2010, 6:06 AM
Wow. I stand corrected. So, the Avengers will not follow the Ultimate's storyline. This should be very interesting. The main thing is that they continue to tell good stories using the latest technology to make it look real and cool. It's all coming together very nicely and I see no reason to doubt their ability to pull this off. It's a very exciting time for geeks like me.
In Stan We Trust...and ah... you too Kevin Feige! Peace bro.
puremantra
puremantra - 4/27/2010, 6:08 AM
I'd like to see a Silver Surfer movie with Thanos in it. He's always been one of my favorite villains.
Plus, a Nova animated movie would rock aswell.
thunderforce
thunderforce - 4/27/2010, 9:52 AM
I think it awesome but they should have little branches of this marvel film universe that are different like one for magic and one for horror and the like . The best part is not knowing who or what is going to turn up next .
1chris2
1chris2 - 4/27/2010, 11:55 AM
i loved the ultimate avengers,and would love to see all of the characters from that make it into the film. but leader,banner/hulk need to be in it,and ultron,and mandarin nned to be in the ironman 3 film,and the skrulls for avengers 2.
BillyBlack
BillyBlack - 4/27/2010, 12:10 PM
JerBear

You forgot to use the sarcasm font.
BaronBubba
BaronBubba - 4/27/2010, 12:12 PM
Not to be nitpicky or anything, but did anyone notice the misspelling on Steve Rogers? Steve "Rodgers"? Doesn't that make one question the validity?

I mean, this IS great news. I like it. But misspelling Rogers is strange especially when it's from THE PRESIDENT OF MARVEL.

I guess I'll remain a skeptic.
KeithM
KeithM - 4/27/2010, 4:19 PM
@BaronBubba: This is a transcript of an audio interview.
JonF
JonF - 4/27/2010, 4:34 PM
I'm going to say it again. Calmly. Wasp and Pym MUST be there. If not, then do not bother making the movie. We've already made the concession of accepting the Ultimate version of Fury.

We all seem to be forgetting that Pym and the Wasp were founding members - Cap WAS NOT. In fact the title of "The First Avenger" is somewhat misleading; technically Cap was the first Invader! I know what Marvel means, but the wording of the title is historically inaccurate which bugs me!

And - WTF? - how can anyone consider War Machine for inclusion in an Avengers movie before or instead of Pym and the Wasp? This is warped thinking! WM wasn't even on the main team; he was a member of the West Coast Avengers briefly - and intially he was only in the four part mini-series that introduced the team!!! C'mon! Wake up, people! He wasn't even WM then! Hell, why don't we use Thunderstrike and USAgent instead of Cap and Thor while we're at it!?! WAKE UP.
fanboiii
fanboiii - 4/27/2010, 4:37 PM
@JerBear
Incredible Hulk wasn't dramatic. They cut all of the drama out and made it into a chase movie.

@Upupandaway
Who said anything about a depressing or cynical movie? I have no idea what you think drama is.
ROMACK
ROMACK - 4/27/2010, 6:25 PM
I have no problem with SLJ as Fury. This is niether the ultimate nor 616 universe but its own universe. I agree the Pyms should be there, but I don't want them to be cast lightly like Fox did Kitty Pryde.

Patrick Wilson would be great but maybe someone younger like Ian Somerhalder (Boone from Lost) would be easier to hate if they decide to take the Pyms down a darker path.
48and2
48and2 - 4/27/2010, 6:31 PM
"What the hell is Hulk doing?" lol - it's in good hands.

I like this dude better on every read. I really wouldn't worry too much unless he drops dead or something happens to him - which hopefully it will not.

I sure do hope somewhere down the line they can get all their rights back... say Avengers does Avatar numbers, they could probably buy 'em back right on the spot.
ROMACK
ROMACK - 4/27/2010, 7:04 PM
Ashley Greene (Alice from the Twilight series) would be a good Wasp. She already has that Pixie look.
SephirothUK
SephirothUK - 4/27/2010, 9:28 PM
I can't wait to wonder into a cinema and see STARRING: Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury, Scarlott Johansson as The Black Widow, Stan 'The Man' Lee as anything!, with maybe also Tim Roth as Abomination, Tim Blake Nelson as The Leader, Hugo Weaving as Red Skull, Liv Tyler as Betty Ross, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, William Hurt as Gen Thunderbolt Ross, Sir Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Tom Hiddleson as Loki, Don Cheadle as War Machine, Sebastian Stan as Bucky + whoever else they want to throw in!

The budget's got to be massive to pay all these people! But it'll make it all back in a week cos this film is gunna be an EVENT.
ROMACK
ROMACK - 4/28/2010, 7:15 AM
It really is a good time to be a Fanboy. I remember growing up and seeing weak attempts like the Captain America TV movies or The Incredible Hulk movies where they tried to introduce Thor and Daredevil. I would get excited when I would hear about it then when it came out it was like WTF is this!! I can't wait 'til Marvel has all their properties under Marvel Studios.
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