Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige Explains How STAR WARS Influenced The Studio And Its Films
It's well known that the influence of Star Wars led to some limbs being lost in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but now Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige has explained other ways Star Wars has influenced him...
The president of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, has made it clear on several occasions that he is as much of a fan of geek culture as some fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This can be seen not only in Feige’s expansive knowledge of Marvel comics, but in some of the easter eggs and references to geek culture he has included in the MCU.
For instance, Phase Two of the MCU saw a number of characters lose a limb as a nod to Luke Skywalker losing his hand in The Empire Strikes Back. Also, last month Feige revealed that Stark Trek, specifically Star Trek: The Next Generation, ‘All Good Things,’ influenced Avengers: Infinity War.
Now, the Marvel Studios head has revealed other ways in which the Star Wars universe has influenced him, including the overall creative process at the studio:
“One of the great things about Star Wars and one thing that I think is great about the Marvel characters from the comics and what we try to emulate in the movies, is if you’re the kind of person that wants to go see it on opening weekend, our job is to make sure you have a great time.”
Feige also explained how the richness of the Star Wars universe affected how he and the folks at Marvel try to make their films just as interesting on repeat viewings.
“If you want to see it a second time, our job is to make sure there’s more there. Third, fourth, fifth time, still more there,” Feige said. “And even the deeper you go, there’ll be things to reward you. And I learned that directly from Star Wars and from those West End Sourcebooks.”
Aside from these points, Kevin Feige also compared the inner workings of Marvel Studios’ collection of directors, writers and producers to the story group at Lucasfilm:
"We have the core group of filmmakers of the executive producer teams. Again, we’ve been together for almost ten years, and it’s a little internal group that for various reasons we call Parliament. At the least of which is we often yell at each other across tables. And keeping track of that is not as complicated I think for us as it is for Star Wars. We’ve got ten years, Star Wars has got like 40 plus years. But it really comes out of each individual film and what's best for each individual story that we’re telling but it is the core group of filmmakers that work on all these movies that keep track of all that."
In all, while Feige’s interview with the Star Wars Show doesn’t reveal any shocking behind-the-scenes details, it does further demonstrate how the Star Wars franchise continues to have a lasting impact on fans and the film industry, as its influence helped make Marvel Studios the massive hit-maker it is today. Also, it further confirms that Feige is a fellow nerd.
An unprecedented cinematic journey ten years in the making and spanning the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” brings to the screen the ultimate, deadliest showdown of all time. The Avengers and their Super Hero allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe. Anthony and Joe Russo direct the film, which is produced by Kevin Feige. Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Michael Grillo and Stan Lee are the executive producers. Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely wrote the screenplay. “Avengers: Infinity War” releases in U.S. theaters on April 27, 2018.