Let me make a couple of notes here
(this has been edited from my org. post)
I have a producing background alright? If you want the details let me know, but SOME people think that by me explaining my background that I was writing out my resume. Go figure.
Yes I will fully admit that I am a Marvel Zombie. (I mean, come on, look at my handle!) However, as Scourge can vouch, I can keep my fan-chick from the producing side of my brain.
There's a reason why I mentioned all that. I told Scourge, after we saw Iron Man, either Marvel was going to eat up a studio (probably Lionsgate) or a major was going to buy them out. One of the two. They had a home run with Iron man, no question, and alot of the industry was going to be threatened.
While I was at school a number of my fellow "producers" kept saying that Marvel was going to be a fly by night studio. It will make a bunch of money, but once the superhero genre finally went bust, it would disappear. This was AFTER Iron Man blew out the box office opening weekend.
Me? NOPE. Now alot of these producers were not CB fans or if they were, they just didn't know the Marvel library that well.
The way I see it, Kevin Feige et al are just the most brilliant minds that have been producing films on existing sources. Why? Keep reading.
First off, Marvel came in with a game plan. Not just an idea, but a game plan and excellent one. They were like "we are going to do an avengers film, but in order for us to get there we need to do x,y,z". Not a "hey you know what would be cool? A Great Lakes Avengers movie!"
Secondly, from a producing standpoint, taking the risks they did paid off. Risks? what risks are you talking about MG?
1) $500 million loan from Merrill Lynch. They basically had that paid off a couple of week after Iron Man was in theaters. But could you imagine what would have happened if Iron Man tanked at the box office? I wouldn't want to be getting those collection calls.
2) Robert Downy Jr as Tony Stark. Yes, a majority of fans love LOVE (myself included) RDJ as Tony. Brilliant Casting. However, for the longest time RDJ was a risk (and still was a bit when Marvel was dealing with his contract). Why? Insurance reasons. Much like the debacle with Charlie Sheen, RDJ was a bit risky to trust to come into work. If you don't have your lead actor coming in, it throws off your production schedule, which then throws off your budget (paying union crews to stay late etc). It's risky when you have an actor with a bad reputation.
3)Actors contracts- particularly Sam Jackson. I would love to thank whoever figured out the contracts. The guy who figured out Sam Jackson's 10 picture deal to play Nick Fury- I love you. Thank you. I hope you have gotten a HUGE bonus for that.
Why am I all gaga over this contract? Well back in the day the old studios use to contract actors. If you went to see X actor's film, you knew it would be a film from X studio. The studio's own the actors lock stock and barrel. God forbid if Bogart (a lot of his films were with Warner Brothers) wanted to make a film at say, Fox. Warner could sue him for....EVERYTHING.
After the fall of the studio system (thanks to monopoly laws and the invention of television), the most you might see an actor have is 3-5 picture deal with a studio. Most of the time it was two. (Burton Batman film's anyone?) Rarely was all of the those pictures for the same character, if ever.
Now what Marvel pulled off with some of these contracts has never NEVER NEVER been done before- particular with Sam Jackson signing to play 10 pictures AS THE SAME CHARACTER.
Instead of going "Hey Sam, we would like you to be Nick Fury for a couple of pics" and then having to resign, they just took out their game plan and said... "shit, we need someone for 10 different pictures".
Now the difference is, unlike the old studio system, the actors can go work on other films (i.e. RDJ working on Sherlock Holmes in between shooting Iron Man).
SMART!!!!!
4)Trying something (particularly with casting) realizing it doesn't work and correcting it on the spot.
EX: Terrance Howard and Ed Norton.
5) Jeph Loeb as VP of Television (brilliant)
6) Marvel Creative Committee (see below)
What I am hoping Marvel does with TV division coming online.
Please, just from a marketing standpoint (and it seems like they are doing this) use "Aka Jessica Jones" as a way to introduce characters that will be pivotal later on (i.e. Luke Cage, Danny Reid, Carol Danvers),esp. if you want to do a story like "Civil War".
Hulk- The only Hulk I ever personally liked was the old show with Bill Bixby. I am hoping they do an updated version of that.
And just to keep all of us fans going to the films, and watching the shows--- Never, ever, not even as a last resort, get rid of the creative committee. Both the west coast and east coast offices working together in harmony is one of the reasons why these stories are transposing so well over into other mediums. (That and talent gets to play in both offices!!! $$$ saver!)
As an indy producer- Marvel-- well you guys are just amazing.