Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige might just be the most prolific producer in Hollywood and with his new role as Marvel's Chief Creative Officer and the launch of Disney+, we're going to be seeing a lot more of him over the next few years.
Now, he's sat down for a lengthy interview in which he addresses Martin Scorsese's anti-Marvel comments, the split between Marvel Studios and Marvel Entertainment, Disney's acquisition of the studio back in 2009, why Iron Man was the right superhero to launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe, taking a risk on
Eternals, and a whole lot more.
There are some great reveals here and it's particularly interesting to get Feige's thoughts on what Scorsese has been saying lately, specifically in regards to Marvel movies dominating theaters.
So, to check out all of these new details, all you guys have to do is hit the "View List" button!
Eternals Is A Big, Expensive, Risky Movie
Like
Guardians of the Galaxy before it,
Eternals definitely feels like one of Marvel Studios' riskiest ventures to date. While there's no reason to assume it will be anything other than a hit, Feige was willing to acknowledge that they're investing a lot of time and money into this latest adventure.
"It is a very big movie. It is a very expensive movie," he revealed.
"And we are making it because we believe in [director Chloe Zhao's] vision and we believe in what those characters can do and we believe we need to continue to grow and evolve and change and push our genre forward. That's a risk if I've ever heard one."
With an A-List cast and a promise to delve into thousands of years of the MCU's history,
Eternals promises to be a must-see and it's good to now Marvel Studios is pulling out all the stops.
Marvel Studios' Split With Marvel Entertainment
In his memoir, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed reports that Marvel Studios split with Marvel Entertainment partly because of CEO Isaac Perlmutter's stance on using female and non-white characters on screen.
"That's part of it," Feige confirms.
"There's a lot of sides to the story. You can pick up Bob Iger's book The Ride of a Lifetime to learn more, but it made sense at that time. We had made ten movies or more that managerially, there was another way to go."
Feige has since been working closely with Disney's Alan Horn and he has nothing but good things to say. "Alan Horn is such a tremendous leader and such a tremendous mentor."
"He came on just before or just after Avengers 1 came out and has been so supportive in what we're doing and also has great guidance. He reads every draft and watches every cut," the Marvel Studios boss continued. "He's not as versed in the Marvel lore as we are, which is important because we want to police ourselves and not get too far down in the weeds that we distance ourselves from our audience and he and Alan Bergman are great eyes for that."
Disney's Acquisition Of Marvel Entertainment
Feige was also asked for his thoughts on Disney's acquisition of Marvel Entertainment and how that impacted Marvel Studios.
"It was the greatest thing that ever happened to us," he declared.
"It was the greatest thing that ever happened us. If Disney hadn't bought us, you wouldn't have seen the movies we've made since then. For sure. I just don't think it would have been possible."
He went on to add that having the security of Disney behind them played a huge role in the expansion of the MCU and it sounds like Bob Iger's support proved to be key for what it's become.
"When that home is the Walt Disney Studios, even before the last eight years and the tremendous success," he continued, "it is very special and when you have someone like Bob Iger who's spent a lot of money and is invested in the success, it makes a big difference so we really always felt like we were in great hands."
When Will Kevin Feige Stop Making Marvel Movies?
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is now over a decade old and Feige has been there since day one. However, many fans can't help but wonder when he'll move on or retire, especially as rumours continue to swirl that he'll ultimately replace Kathleen Kennedy as Lucasfilm's President.
"Of course, I’ve imagined that. I’ve imagined that since the day I started," he explains.
"I wonder every few years if I want to stay or if I want to go. The truth is I’ve always said I’ll go when I’m bored. We’re doing so much right now, in so many different ways, with so much support."
"With Disney+ being a big part of that. I just got off the set of WandaVision, which is completely unlike anything we’ve ever done." Thankfully, it definitely sounds like he's happy for now!
WandaVision Is "Unlike Anything We've Done Before"
Talking of
WandaVision, Feige went on to gush about the Disney+ TV series and his comments above are indeed confirmation that the show has started shooting.
"It is unlike anything we've done before," he reiterated.
"It's unlike anything this genre has done before." That's a bold statement and while he declined to reveal more, this could actually be Marvel's most unique project to date.
For details on Disney+ heroes coming to the big screen, all you guys have to do is click
HERE.
Kevin Feige's Response To Martin Scorsese
"I think that's not true. I think it's unfortunate," Feige responded when asked about Martin Scorsese's recent claims that superhero movies aren't good for the concept of 'cinema.'
"I think myself and everyone who works on these movies loves cinema, loves movies, loves going to the movies, loves to watch a communal experience in a movie theater full of people."
"We did Civil War," he added regarding some of the cinematic risks Marvel has taken. "We had our two most popular characters get into a very serious theological and physical altercation. We killed half of our characters at the end of a movie [Avengers: Infinity War]. I think it's fun for us to take our success and use it to take risks and go in different places."
"Everybody has a different definition of cinema. Everybody has a different definition of art. Everybody has a different definition of risk. Some people don't think it's cinema. Everybody is entitled to their opinion. Everyone is entitled to repeat that opinion. Everyone is entitled to write op-eds about that opinion, and I look forward to what will happen next. But in the meantime, we're going to keep making movies." In other words, he's not worrying about Scorsese's opinion!
Why Iron Man Was The Right Hero To Kickstart The MCU
"We really believed in the character of Tony Stark," Feige reflected.
"We believed in being able to do a version of a hero that people hadn't seen before - the redemptive arc that he has through the film - and the notion that it's not superpowers, it's a vehicle, and the vehicle sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. That his intellect is the superpower, we thought was very interesting."
He went on to explain that he always knew the MCU had potential to be huge, even while Iron Man was being made. He describes that as "the notion of epic storytelling that encompasses the same characters through many different periods. We could begin to blend them together and build a universe on the big screen the way it exists in the comic book universe," he continues.