Kevin Feige Discusses Future of MCU
During the big Marvel Studios open house event, president Kevin Feige talked about what’s ahead for the successful studio.
This press only invitation event was held in conjunction with a screening of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Just yesterday James Gunn announced he would be back for Guardians Vol. 3 and perhaps more.
“I think James in particular has an amazing connection with these characters and with this cosmic world. So he, I think, could easily oversee additional stories beyond Vol. 3,” said Feige. “All of our core writers and filmmakers know what we are doing in other places and help give input on the various projects.”
Fans of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe were concerned when Sony recently said that Spider-Man wouldn’t continue in the MCU past the current announced films.
Feige says Spider-Man will be in the upcoming Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, its sequel and a follow-up to Homecoming.
“That’s as far as it goes for now,” said Feige.
Sony announced it was developing Spider-Man spinoffs featuring Venom, Black Cat and Silver Sable, which Marvel is not a part of.
“We had a very particular plan about Spidey himself,” said Feige.
The nerd world exploded when Josh Brolin was revealed as Cable in Deadpool 2. There was a lot of “he can’t be Thanos and Cable” rolling around the Internet. However, Feige has no problem with the casting.
“We don’t have anything written into our contracts about other roles that people can do,” said Feige. “Indiana Jones and Han Solo are the same person … it hasn’t been a problem. And I think Thanos and Cable are two very different characters.”
Speaking of Deadpool, the success of it and Logan has sparked a debate about the place for r-rated comic book movies in the marketplace. Feige thinks it’s the creative content and not the rating that made those films work.
“My takeaway from both of those films is not the R rating, it’s the risk they took, the chances they took, the creative boundaries that they pushed,” said Feige. “That should be the takeaway for everyone.”
Another geek crossover recently broke the Internet when Joss Whedon was announced as the writer/director of a Batgirl movie. Fans wondered how Marvel would react to its longtime collaborator switching teams. The answer is 100 percent supportive.
“He called. A couple months ago, which he didn’t have to do and was super cool of him and super nice of him,” said Feige. “And we couldn’t be more supportive. We want to see a Joss Whedon Batgirl film be awesome.”
With the MCU having grossed nearly $11 billion worldwide, Feige is very clear on what he thinks the secret to the franchise’s success is. He knows it’s the comedy and laughs that keep fans coming back.
“We don’t sit there and say We need 15 jokes in the first 45 pages, but it just is something that we are naturally entertained by,” said Feige. “Certainly in the Guardians films as James would point out, in the Ant-Man films, it might rise to the surface more. It’s been a long time that we haven’t done a screening of a film that humor and action aren’t the top two things that are listed in those movies.”
“I also believe that laughter is the way you hook the audience,” he said. “Then you can scare them. Then you can touch them deeper than they were expecting to in a film about a tree and a raccoon and aliens that don’t understand metaphors. Humor is the secret in into the audience’s other ranges of emotions.”
Perhaps the most exciting news for die hard fans is that Marvel Studios will return to San Diego Comic Con this year. It skipped last year, because the studio had nothing new to show or report. There was some question about its presence at this year’s con since it’s the week after Disney’s D23 Expo. However, Marvel will be back in Hall H this summer.
Marvel’s release slate:
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 opens May 5.
Spider-Man: Homecoming flies into theaters July 7.
Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters Nov. 3.
Black Panther is scheduled for February 16, 2018.
Avengers: Infinity War is scheduled for May 4, 2018.
Ant-Man and the Wasp is scheduled for July 6, 2018.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Box Office Mojo
