With each new Marvel Studios film’s release, Kevin Feige is inevitably interviewed and asked a ton of questions about the future. Mostly, he gives a lot of “wait and see” answers that don’t provide much information. He is the master of secrecy, after all. However, in a new interview with EW, he sheds some light on the forthcoming Marvel Studios films and TV projects, confirming some previous speculation while also providing a couple of nuggets for fans to chew on.
First off, even though it was basically understood at this point, Feige confirmed that “Deadpool 3,” which is set to star Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and Emma Corrin, will be Marvel Studios’ “first R-rated film.” There was a question about whether or not “Deadpool 3” will keep the adult rating when it moves under the Marvel Studios banner, but after some executives seemingly confirmed it, it’s great to hear the news from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.
As for films, Feige also mentioned something that hasn’t been reported just yet but does change quite a bit of the context of a couple of upcoming films. He explained that Harrison Ford’s character, Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, formerly portrayed by William Hurt, is going to be stepping into the shoes of the President of the United States beginning in the forthcoming “Captain America 4.”
“This is certainly a big part for Thaddeus Ross. He’s the President of the United States in the film,” said Feige. “And with Harrison, you think about ‘Air Force One,’ and you think about some of his confrontations with the President in ‘Clear and Present Danger.’ There’s a dynamic between President Ross and Sam Wilson. They have a history together, but in this film, we’ll be seeing the dynamic between Captain America and the President of the United States in a way that is just incredible.”
Does that mean the President is going to hulk out as Red Hulk? And what does it mean for “Thunderbolts,” which is also said to feature Ross? Feige isn’t ready to spill the beans on that just yet.
While the next bit of news isn’t directly tied to any one project, Kevin Feige did say something about the future of Marvel Studios’ TV output that might interest the diehard fans. Over the past few years, we’ve seen Marvel Studios dive in headfirst with its Disney+ offerings, with a ton of new series being released and more being teased as on the way. With that, there seemed to be a bit of a “too much, too soon” feeling amongst fans, as there was barely any breathing room between TV releases. Well, that’s going to be changing, as Feige confirms that series will be released further apart, and there will be fewer each year.
“I do think one of the powerful aspects of being at Marvel Studios is having these films and shows hit the zeitgeist,” he explained. “It is harder to hit the zeitgeist when there’s so much product out there — and so much “content,” as they say, which is a word that I hate. [Laughs] But we want Marvel Studios and the MCU projects to really stand out and stand above. So, people will see that as we get further into Phase 5 and 6. The pace at which we’re putting out the Disney+ shows will change so they can each get a chance to shine.”
So, it would appear that fans who were concerned that Marvel just had too many series hitting Disney+ each year will be happy to know that the release schedule will be reduced in the years to come. Whether that’s a creative decision made by Feige or more of a business decision, as numbers and fan enthusiasm seemed to wane with each new series, is still unknown.
Again, you can read the entire interview over at EW. The next project from Marvel Studios is “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” which arrives in theaters this Friday.