In one of the recent big articles that aimed to show the disarray behind the scenes at Marvel Studios, there was a quick note about the upcoming film, “The Marvels.” This is a film that has been delayed numerous times, been the subject of many reports about reshoots and changes, and is expected to debut with a fairly low box office total (not helped by the SAG strikes preventing A-listers from promoting work). But the aside was aimed at filmmaker Nia DaCosta, as it was revealed the filmmaker left work on “The Marvels” to go off to London to work on another film. For many, this sounded like a filmmaker giving up on a movie, being pushed out by the studio, or perhaps even being upset at the process of working with Marvel. That was the insinuation, at the very least. Well, DaCosta is finally here to clear the situation up.
Speaking to Jake’s Takes, while promoting “The Marvels,” Nia DaCosta was asked point blank about the report that she left post-production on the Marvel Studios film to work on another project in London. She doesn’t deny that fact, but she wants people to understand that it had nothing to do with any friction behind the scenes (other than multiple release delays), and ultimately, didn’t affect the finished film.
“I think there’s a lot of energy and criticism around Marvel anyway, so I’m not surprised,” DaCosta said about the controversy. “For me, personally, it was just that they moved the date of the film four different times. So, instead of it being a two-year process—which I was deeply committed to—it became a three-and-a-half-year process.”
She added, “[Marvel Studios] knew the entire time that I had an obligation—a greenlit movie with people waiting for me—and I pushed that, and I pushed it again, and I pushed it again. Eventually, we all knew if they push it again, I’m not going to be in L.A. to do the rest of [‘The Marvels’] in person. So, we just figured out a way to do it remote. We figured out the best process. And at the time that I left, to go to London to start prep on my next film, everyone was so clear about what the film was and what we wanted, what I wanted. So, it really wasn’t the dramatic thing people think it is.”
Obviously, this isn’t the first time a filmmaker has worked concurrently on multiple projects. The interviewer even points out how Steven Spielberg left “Jurassic Park” early to work on “Schindler’s List,” and we know how that worked out. But there definitely seems to be a narrative that there is trouble afoot at Marvel Studios, and folks are looking for any cracks in the once-impenetrable armor. That said, at least in this situation, it might not be the condemnation critics were thinking it would be.
“The Marvels” debuts in theaters on November 10.
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