UPDATE: After publication, Xavier Gens spoke to us further about his comments to clarify his feelings.
“I was in discussion with différents studios,” the filmmaker said. “But now, I understand that the previews of the digital effects and action scenes are done by VFX companies like the Third floor in London, and that I would be there to take care of only the direction of the actors.”
He continued, “As director living in Europe, we are in charge of the entire process of the film. This is, I believe, why most of the European directors decline US studio movies. Because at one point, on these productions, you are reduced to just directing fields/reverse fields on actors in front of a green background. In Europe, we are responsible for the film from the beginning to the end.”
The original article is below:
Depending on who you talk to, whether it’s someone who has worked with Marvel Studios in the past or someone that refuses to work with the superhero studio, you get very different ideas about what responsibilities the directors have. You have people like the Russo Brothers who talk about how Marvel gives them a ton of creative control to do what they want, while others, such as filmmaker Xavier Gens paints a very different picture.
Speaking to French outlet, Le Point (via Saxon), Gens talked about his brief discussions with Marvel Studios about a project in the future. The filmmaker, who most recently helmed episodes of the acclaimed thriller series, “Gangs of London,” explained how his superhero experience would have been mainly with actors, while other filmmakers take over the action scenes. And this didn’t sit well with him.
“I was in discussion [with Marvel], but I understood that the previews of the digital effects and action scenes were done by a box in London, and that I would be there to take care of only the direction of the actors,” explained Gens. “It is not very interesting. This is, I believe, why Edgar Wright declined ‘Ant-Man,’ because at one point, on these productions, you are reduced to just directing fields/reverse fields on actors in front of a green background.”
He continued, “Directing a Marvel film can make a great calling card, but I’m not even sure that the names of the directors of ‘Captain Marvel’ are remembered today… I have already had a catastrophic experience with a studio, ‘Hitman,’ and I don’t want to do it again, especially at 45. I prefer to direct ‘Gangs of London’ or produce ‘Papicha,’ much more important to me than any Marvel. Besides, I refuse all American orders.”
As mentioned, Gens does have experience on American blockbusters, with the 2007 adaptation of the “Hitman” video game franchise. That film was a bomb at the box office and universally panned by critics and fans. So, while it’s clear that the Marvel Studios system doesn’t sit well with Gens, we’re going to go out on a limb and suggest that maybe his admittedly “catastrophic experience” working on “Hitman” played a huge part in that decision, as well.
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But this only adds to the debate about what Marvel Studios expects from its filmmakers. The studio is famous for taking lesser-known filmmakers and giving them the keys to $200 million franchise films. However, it would appear that maybe the work done by the director really is a cog in a much bigger machine.