THE MARVELS: Another Trade Has Been Accused Of Publishing A "Hit Piece" On Director Nia DaCosta

THE MARVELS: Another Trade Has Been Accused Of Publishing A "Hit Piece" On Director Nia DaCosta THE MARVELS: Another Trade Has Been Accused Of Publishing A "Hit Piece" On Director Nia DaCosta

Following Variety's report on The Marvels and Nia DaCosta, another trade has come in for a lot of backlash for publishing what does feel a lot like a hit piece on the filmmaker...

By MarkCassidy - Nov 21, 2023 11:11 AM EST
Filed Under: The Marvels

Days before The Marvels was released, Variety published a strangely negative article about the movie, which suggested that director Nia DaCosta somehow left the film and Marvel Studios in the lurch by starting work on her next project while the Captain Marvel sequel was still in post (even though this is something that happens frequently).

DaCosta would later shrug off the criticism, explaining: "By the time I left to start prep on my next film, everyone was so clear about what the film was, what we wanted. It really wasn’t this dramatic sort of thing people are thinking it is.”

Variety was accused of penning a "hit piece" on the movie, and more specifically, its director, and THR has now shared an even more eyebrow-raising article which really does read like a personal attack on the filmmaker.

In the article, which is titled "Why Marvels Director Nia DaCosta Bailed on the Cast-and-Crew Screening," the trade claims that Marvel staffers were "miffed" about DaCosta missing said screening to attend her own birthday celebrations. But they then follow up by noting that she wasn't even aware that the event was happening.

"DaCosta had not been invited to the cast-and-crew screening. Only when she invited some crewmembers to her birthday party did she learn of the screening, and by then it was too late."

DaCosta has previously made it clear that she only had so much input when it came to the creative direction of the movie, and that it was "Kevin Feige's film" at the end of the day. With this in mind, many feel these articles are a result of the studio essentially throwing her under the bus in an attempt to blame her for The Marvels' terrible performance at the box office.

Of course, it's entirely that Marvel Studios had nothing to do with this and it's simply a case of these trades exaggerating a (non) story for clicks, but whatever the reason, it definitely seems like DaCosta is being unfairly targetted here.

"In Marvel Studios’ The Marvels, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as The Marvels.”

The film also stars Zawe Ashton and Park Seo-joon. Nia DaCosta directs, and Kevin Feige is the producer. Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Mary Livanos and Matthew Jenkins serve as executive producers. The screenplay is by Megan McDonnell, Nia DaCosta, Elissa Karasik and Zeb Wells.

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garu - 11/21/2023, 11:07 AM
"the way the trades can’t stop targeting nia dacosta and trying to ruin her reputation is sickening"

What reputation? Being the director of the lowest grossing MCU movie of all time?
DrReedRichards - 11/21/2023, 11:09 AM
@garu -

Not gonna act like she's the next best thing, but with how she seems to be defended by her crew online, there certainly is something fishy going on here...

Urubrodi - 11/21/2023, 11:11 AM
@garu - She barely has any movies under her name. Got some praise with Candyman and then in what could be her biggest break she released the biggest MCU bomb of all time. No idea what reputation they are referring to.
garu - 11/21/2023, 11:14 AM
@Urubrodi @DrReedRichards

I do agree there's something fishy going on, she has no reputation and these headlines barely seem like hit pieces when it's just reporting on what they heard.

Guys but what we don't understand is that if anyone reports anything on her, it's a hit piece

McMurdo - 11/21/2023, 1:13 PM
@Urubrodi - Candyman was painfully mediocre and unscary, completely inferior to the original.
Urubrodi - 11/21/2023, 2:58 PM
@McMurdo - Haven't watched yet was just basing myself on the reviews, but good to know.
Ryguy88 - 11/21/2023, 9:05 PM
@DrReedRichards - what's the conspiracy theory now?
DrReedRichards - 11/22/2023, 3:21 AM
@Ryguy88 -

Now? When else did I say that there was one? Find better thing to do with your precious time than to paraphrase what I say.
Ryguy88 - 11/22/2023, 7:32 AM
@DrReedRichards - wow, that one stung you pretty bad, huh
DrReedRichards - 11/22/2023, 7:52 AM
@Ryguy88 -

You're acting as if I've not made clear time and time again how resentful I can be.
marvel72 - 11/21/2023, 11:11 AM
She should have been at the screening was probably embrassed by what was being shown.
elcapitan - 11/21/2023, 11:58 AM
@marvel72 - she should have been at a screening she wasn't invited to?
marvel72 - 11/21/2023, 1:05 PM
@elcapitan - That's what she claims.
WakandaTech - 11/21/2023, 11:11 AM
The definition of a Privileged Victim

You can't criticize her for the awful movie she made that lost 300 Million
If you do you're only doing it because she's a black woman

In other words you're a racist
dracula - 11/21/2023, 11:23 AM
@WakandaTech - really since ghost busters reboot its kind if been that for every failed female led project

If it fails its because of sexism

And yet they never ask why women didnt see the movies

And they ignore the successful films
ClintThaHamster - 11/21/2023, 12:02 PM
@WakandaTech - She didn't make an awful movie, though. She made a perfectly serviceable movie that has been widely well received by critics and what moviegoers bothered to go see it. There's an interesting story to be told about how and why the movie failed, but "because it was bad" is not it.
MyCoolYoung - 11/21/2023, 12:12 PM
@ClintThaHamster - facts
CorndogBurglar - 11/21/2023, 12:44 PM
@ClintThaHamster - I agree. I haven't seen The Marvels yet, but from what I can tell, people that have seen it tend to agree that it's a good movie.

What's more concerning is why aren't people going to see a good movie? We've seen people turn out for movies like Top Gun 2, Barbie, Oppenheimer, Dr Strange 2, No Way Home, Wakanda Forever, and others.

I know everyone says the industry as a whole is in a rut with ticket sales, but is it really? When it's a movie people care about they show up, as has been proven since theatres opened back up.

So what's the real problem? When it comes to superhero movies, to me it definitely looks like the characters are the driving factor.

People are always going to pay to see Spider-Man. Dr Strange is an important heavy-hitter from the Infinity Saga. Wakanda Forever was the sequel to a movie of a beloved actor and character that passed away. Guardians 3 was the finale of a beloved series with fan favorite characters.

Then we have Shang Chi, while being a good movie, didn't earn as much as it deserved, and was about a very obscure character non-comic fans have never heard of.

The Marvels was about 3 characters. One from a D+ show that had the lowest viewership up until Secret Invasion. Another character made a short appearance in Captain Marvel and was in a couple WandaVision episodes. And Captain Marvel is questionable as far as how people really feel about her. Her first movie only made what it did because they made it feel like it HAD to be seen before End Game. And Brie Larson is the subject of controversy.

Add to that the D+ shows that have low viewership and it just feels like people aren't interested in these characters.

People want to see the big names from the Infinity Saga. The characters they are invested in. Not these 2nd string characters they don't care about.

I really don't have any other explanation for it. The Infinity War characters are all getting watched. It's the new characters and side characters that people aren't turning out for.
HarryPotter007 - 11/21/2023, 1:22 PM
@CorndogBurglar - people are not going because Marvel has been churning out hot shit post Endgame. That's it. Viewers are tired.. you can't just put out mediocre content and expect people to lap it up. The Marvels was pretty decent compared to what was being put out by the studio...

With Loki S2 and The Marvels, it seems like Disney is taking the criticism and correcting the course.
CorndogBurglar - 11/21/2023, 1:55 PM
@HarryPotter007 - That isn't totally true though.

Guardians 3 was good.

Wakanda Forever was good.

Dr Strange 2 wasn't terrible.

Shang Chi is good.

Their movies have been pretty good except for Eternals, Black Widow, and Thor 4.

But people actually still went and saw Widow and Thor. Because they are characters they know and like, despite the movies being bad.
LeDiableBlanc - 11/21/2023, 2:26 PM
@CorndogBurglar - I saw the movie, and thought it was good. There are multiple reasons the movie is not doing well.
EMagnusPhoenix - 11/21/2023, 4:18 PM
@ClintThaHamster - Me and a friend of mine saw it last week, and we both enjoyed it. A few others I talked to who also saw it, said they enjoyed it too. I truly don't get the h8 for it.
ClintThaHamster - 11/21/2023, 4:58 PM
@EMagnusPhoenix - You see this a lot with kids, where they just make up their mind they don't like something (usually food like Broccoli, Avocado, Peas, basically anything green) and they refuse to try it, at least partially because if they do and they like it, they won't be able to say they hate it anymore.
HarryPotter007 - 11/22/2023, 12:51 AM
@CorndogBurglar - Guardians 3 was very good. BP 2 was good. Dr Strange 2 was also decent. Shang Chi was a CGI cluster [frick] that rode on Asian hype and nothing more. Eternals was mid.

Black Widow, Thor 4, FATWS, She Hulk, Ms Marvel (after first 2 episodes), Moon Knight (parts of it), Secret Invasion - were mediocre to downright shit.

See, having a good plot is the basic necessity for these movies/ shows to work - which has not been the case post Endgame. Releasing numerous content with no quality check is what is preventing people from investing in Marvel now.

The Marvels was actually pretty decent and I had fun watching it, which is why it hurts to see the backlash.. I though Marvel Studios started understanding what is pulling them back and it has shown in The Marvels and Loki S2 - they are getting back on track.
Matador - 11/21/2023, 11:13 AM


dracula - 11/21/2023, 11:22 AM
@Matador - and yet mainly white men watched
Matador - 11/21/2023, 11:24 AM
@dracula - All those white men are racists for watching beautiful strong women in all there glory.
Origame - 11/21/2023, 11:24 AM
@dracula - the primary ticket buyers were vegeta and goku, because they needed a place to fight.
dracula - 11/21/2023, 12:14 PM
@Origame -
?list=LL

its mainly white guys watching, Goku and Vegeta are japanese

my bet is, its these two irish rabbi

Origame - 11/21/2023, 1:03 PM
@dracula - ...sounds about right.
dracula - 11/21/2023, 11:21 AM
If she wasnt invited then yeah its not a story

But seriously some people are just finishing to find a win to give this movie.

Like really “the highest opening for a movie directed by a black woman”

Sounds patronizing to be so specific

Plus with how its doing, sounds more sad than a victory

Plus really overshadowed by all the negative accomplishments
Scarilian - 11/21/2023, 11:22 AM
Person makes a bad film and then everyone who says its bad is suddenly wrong in some way, normally labeling them as a racist/sexist/etc...

We've seen a lot of corporations do this in the past and now we are seeing a bunch of people take up the same stance.

The only thing worth pointing out is that this disaster is not solely the responsibility of Nia DaCosta. Kevin Feige, Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik need levels of blame also - along with whoever chose the writers and directors and whoever edited the film into the disaster it ended up being on-screen.
Origame - 11/21/2023, 11:23 AM
Wow. Way to make a basic article explaining the situation in a totally fair way into some example of the media targeting her is astounding.

The literal quote you provided is giving a completely reasonable reason as to why this situation happened and isn't against her in the slightest.

Meanwhile we have constant articles praising this film, hiding the truth of just how terrible its doing, and giving these ridiculous accomplishments like "highest grossing movie from a black director".

This is and continues to be the most protected movie by the media in history, and yet it's never enough. Especially when said director blames her film bombing on racist and sexist fans.

And hell, this isn't even as bad as the article Josh wrote arguing that avi Arad should be fired because of madame web, despite us only seeing a trailer for the film and Arad literally having nothing to do with it.

All this is proving is how privileged these Hollywood elites truly are. And I really have no sympathy for them if all this crashes and burns.
Doomsday8888 - 11/21/2023, 11:29 AM
SMDH!

A > E

#IStandWithNia

#ReleaseTheDaCostaCut
garu - 11/21/2023, 11:32 AM
@Doomsday8888 - hahahaha
HistoryofMatt - 11/21/2023, 11:40 AM
I didn't make a bad movie... I didn't do a bad job... I didn't act unprofessionally... YOU'RE JUST RACIST AND MISOGYNIST!!!

Yep. Sounds about right to me. The Woke playbook of playing the victim and using the color of your skin or the genitals between your legs or whom you choose to love as a way to avoid and deflect any and all criticism.
AmazingFILMporg - 11/21/2023, 11:45 AM
Nia abandoned her own film.💁



No defending that. The film would've flopped no matter if she was there or not but it could've been better if she was in the editing room💁



Playing the race card is so tired at this point🤡



Nomis929 - 11/21/2023, 11:45 AM
Boy it's hitting the Fan over there...HEADS ARE GONNA ROLL!

Matador - 11/21/2023, 12:51 PM
@Nomis929 -

?si=S-24XaIxtopL__HY
marvel72 - 11/21/2023, 1:06 PM
@Nomis929 - I love Airplane.
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