In a revelation that comes as no surprise given both the eyebrow-raising quality of the film’s trailers and its parent studio’s current lack of direction, The Marvels director Nia DaCosta has revealed that Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has been back-and-forth with his feelings towards her helming of a third Captain Marvel-related outing.
DaCosta shared her uncertainty regarding the Marvel Cinematic Universe futures of both her and her film’s titular trio during a recent interview with Total Film Magazine.
“I’ll pitch Kevin [Feige] 17 versions of what can happen with all these women, and why and how, and this and that,” the director recalled, as per an excerpt of her interview provided by The Direct. “And he’s like, ‘Okay, girl’, and sometimes I think I’ve really got a movie going after this. And then other times, I’m like, ‘Oh, they have this whole other plan that I’m not a part of.'”
To this end, DaCosta would later explain to the magazine that at this point in time, with Hollywood having taken great strides in representation, the success of female-led films – including The Marvels – was now truly dependent on their quality rather than any inherent messaging.
“In terms of women-led films and women as superheroes in particular, and excitement around that, I think it’s really just about whether or not the movie’s good,” said the Candyman (2021) director. “Especially now we have more and more films that are female-led that are action-based or superhero- based.”
Faced with the inevitable topic of Barbie‘s breakaway box office success, DaCosta decline to compare her film’s prospects to those of Margot Robbie’s latest outing, as she felt “Barbie is so specific – it’s Barbie.”
“Every girl in the world pretty much probably had a Barbie, and a lot of men,” she explained. “So I think that’s a phenomenon that’s probably gonna make a billion dollars.”
As her interview drew to a close, DaCosta ultimately admitted that rather than look to Barbie as a blueprint for success, she believed that “for women-led superhero films, as long as the quality stays up, that’s what’s gonna keep the audience coming back.”
Unfortunately for the director, despite her best attempt at inspiring confidence in her Brie Larson-led sequel, DaCosta also indicated that the film will indulge in all of the MCU’s worst habits.
Asked during this same interview if she could speak to what makes her film stand out from all the MCU outings that came before it, the director asserted, “The biggest difference from the other MCU movies to date is that it’s really wacky and silly.”
“The worlds we go to in this movie are worlds unlike others you’ve seen in the MCU,” she added. “Bright worlds that you haven’t seen before.”
At current, The Marvels is on track to crash land into theaters on November 10th.