Whedon Clarifies Gender Comments, Wouldn't "Rule Out" Directing "Captain Marvel"

[electr1cgoblin]

He says after Marvel just made one of the highest grossing movies of the year out of a franchise that only made it to 25 issues before getting cancelled.

Valentino's GotG went a lot longer than that, but yeah, I get what you are saying.

[electr1cgoblin]

Black Widow is a far more interesting and complex character than Ms./Capt. Marvel and most every other female superhero at Marvel.

Well...I don't necessarily agree, particularly if you factor in all of her history, as Binary, Warbird, etc.

However, I REALLY doubt the film will do that. This will be a case where the film character deviates a GREAT deal from the comic character, at least from the comic character that existed up until the recent incarnation.

[Kalen O.]

That's not to say her movie can't succeed. But beyond the good script and good actress any good movie requires, her movie will need what Marvel's other movies have had -- a director that gets Marvel comics. Jon Faveraux, James Gunn, Josh Whedon, Joe Johnston, the Russo brothers, Kenneth Brannagh -- these are directors with nerd cred that know how to deliver an entertaining movie.

No, these directors have nerd cred NOW, because of their Marvel movies. None of these directors were considered anything close to a safe bet when they were hired. Not in the industry's eyes, and certainly not in fans'. Jon Favreau was just that guy who'd done Elf....and he was being trusted with Marvel's first major superhero movie? James Gunn was agreed to be a funny, offbeat guy, thanks to Slither and Super, but wasn't considered to have anywhere near the experience necessary to shepherd a blockbuster space opera. Whedon had nerd cred in spades, but his only directorial history was with Serenity, widely considered to be the next best thing to a flop. The Russo brothers got the 'the biggest thing those two have done is some paintball episodes of Community...why the hell would Marvel pick them'? Brannagh was good at Shakespeare, everyone admitted - didn't mean anyone thought he knew how to turn a Norse god into a viable superhero. And Joe Johnston was a solid choice, but mostly because nobody had much in the way of expectations for the first Captain America movie and he was as good a choice as any.

You're absolutely right that to succeed, Captain Marvel needs the right director, and one who gets both Marvel comics and Marvel movies. But none of the previous Marvel directors were obvious choices, so I'd say Marvel has pretty good cred for picking the right directors for their movies despite everyone else's expectations.

[gwangung]

The thing is when people think Marvel movies they think superheros. A Black Widow movie would really be more of a spy movie than a superhero movie.

And if it's a good, well made movie, I think it would be accepted by the movie going public (WINTER SOLDIER certainly had a lot of elements of an espionage, paranoid thriller movie).

I think Scarlet Johannsen's schedule is more of a problem than a script....

[Holt]

I don't see why they couldn't make a Captain Marvel and a Black Widow film, it's not like one precludes the other.

But if I had to guess part of it is likely that they feel Captain Marvel will do more to grow the universe. That's been an appealing prospect to them with their recent properties (note the number of movies that are now introducing more side heroes in addition to the main ones being highlighted) and depending on how it's done, Captain Marvel allows them to introduce a number of more cosmic characters and elements that might not yet have been touched by GOTG. The franchise also has the potential to introduce a large number of heroes down the line, such as Kamala Khan, Monica Rambeau, Genis and Phyla-Vell (assuming the latter isn't in the Guardians sequel which I think she might be) and Marvel Boy. And then of course there's her enemy, Moonstone, who could be introduced with plans for a Thunderbolts film down the line or even the Masters of Evil in an Avengers sequel.

Whereas Black Widow probably wouldn't do as much to expand the MCU, particularly if it's an origin movie or one prolonged flashback. There aren't a lot of new characters and heroes you can squeeze out of a Black Widow movie unless it's like the Winter Guard or something.

[Rogue Star]

Good points. A Black Widow movie would feel more like a luxury than a necessity.

[lancerman]

I really can't see Captain Marvel working either. Atleast with the other movies they have the fact that male led superhero films have a track record, and little boys will flock to it and drag their parents. I can count the amount of successful female action movies on one hand. Most are Hunger Games, and the others involve Angelina Jolie. So the two biggest female actresses of the 2000's. And one is based off an incredibly popular book series, the other is based off an incredibly popular video game, and the other was Salt. Oh and Lucy with ScarJo.

[Conch22]

Capt. Marvel can most definitely work.

Powers wise she's comparable to Superman (damage resistant, flight, super strength, some energy based powers).

Being an air force pilot, the film could start off with a modern Top Gun feel. Maybe play up the intrigue in terms of the source of her powers, maybe she's evidence the government (or Hydra) are experimenting with Kree tech and that can't be allowed by the theoretical villain.

My main concern is I really would prefer some iteration of her Warbird costume, the Domino mask, Lightning bolt and basic black with an overly big red sash. Right now, if the current version of Black Canary on Arrow had the lightning bolt insignia and red sash, she'd look pretty close to what I'd want Carols look to be.

Also, on the Elektra front, it has a few redeeming qualities that make it a guilty pleasure (for me) despite some truly terrible choices throughout.

[Tazirai]

I really can't see Captain Marvel working either. Atleast with the other movies they have the fact that male led superhero films have a track record, and little boys will flock to it and drag their parents. I can count the amount of successful female action movies on one hand. Most are Hunger Games, and the others involve Angelina Jolie. So the two biggest female actresses of the 2000's. And one is based off an incredibly popular book series, the other is based off an incredibly popular video game, and the other was Salt. Oh and Lucy with ScarJo.

People have to change thinking like this.

The audience for Lucy was split evenly between men and women, with 65 percent being over age 25.[50] Nikki Rocco, president for domestic distribution at Universal Studios, said, "To have a female lead in an original property absolutely made a difference. Scarlett is a star, and her presence [in the film] made it a lot more appealing for women."[51] Michael Bodey of The Australian commented that women having comprised half the audience is "a seemingly new precedent for an action film" and that, because of its box office performance, Lucy is the film out of all of Besson's film work "likely to have the greatest cultural impact."[16]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_%282014_film%29

As inaccurate on the Science as Lucy was. It was highly enjoyable.

Budget $40 million
Box office $458.9 million

Women can do a solo action movie easily. It's White male Patriarchal BS that needs to change. They won't always be the "heroes".

[Tracer Bullet]

Iron Man and Thor ---no point here their names are way more recognized than Carol Danvers. And Gamora could not have carried Guardians alone. Also, Captain Marvels past is so convoluted that fans will not know if it's Mar-vell, Shazam Captain Marvel or any of the others who have carried the mantle.

This makes no sense. If they're fans they will know the difference. And most people would not have recognized Iron Man before the movie and Thor was just a character in mythology if anything at all.

[Kelly Thompson]

I really can't see Captain Marvel working either. Atleast with the other movies they have the fact that male led superhero films have a track record, and little boys will flock to it and drag their parents. I can count the amount of successful female action movies on one hand. Most are Hunger Games, and the others involve Angelina Jolie. So the two biggest female actresses of the 2000's. And one is based off an incredibly popular book series, the other is based off an incredibly popular video game, and the other was Salt. Oh and Lucy with ScarJo.

Yup, definitely not a ton of successful female led action movies...yup, definitely the research totally backs that up...Oh wait. No, I forgot that that's completely untrue.

http://io9.com/the-long-list-of-succ...ome-1298632309

And since that article was published, add LUCY which was a massive absolutely insane impossible to ignore success, even up against another major action movie with well-established a male lead (Hercules), and Divergent also a big success and getting a sequel.

[Peedi]

Comic readers act like characters like Iron Man and Thor were popular to anybody except comic readers and video game players prior to their movies. Robin and Lois Lane had more world wide, general population recognition than Iron Man before 2008.

Nobody outside of "geek culture" really knew these characters prior to the movies, so it's not much different for Carol Danvers. Comic readers keep these characters going, but everybody outside of comic readers are who take their popularity to new heights (no different than Superman, Spidey or Hulk back when their original TV shows and cartoons wee released). It doesn't matter how much history she does or doesn't have (and she has a LOT to draw from really), if a movie with a good and entertaining story is crafted, much like 2008's Iron Man, a Captain Marvel movie will do well. For one, Marvel is proven by now and people recognize "Marvel" above anything.

If the female draw is an issue, it's Marvel, they can always work in existing characters into the movie... and the boys do this in their films, too. Cap 2 had recurring characters Black Widow, Nick Fury and Maria Hill. Captain Marvel could certainly utilize Hulk, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Maria Hill, Falcon, War Machine (I believe they're dating in the comics right now) or Cap in some way as well as it fit the story.

[Zero Hunter]

If they make a good film it will not matter if it is a male or female lead. I think both Marvel and Warner Bros realize that the next female led movie they make has to be pretty damn good to make up for some of the failures of the past (Supergirl, Catwoman, Elektra) to remove the stigma of bad female led superhero movies that have built up over the years. They both know all it will take is one really great well thought out movie to shatter that idea so they are taking their time trying to do it right.

[Reviresco]

No, these directors have nerd cred NOW, because of their Marvel movies. None of these directors were considered anything close to a safe bet when they were hired. Not in the industry's eyes, and certainly not in fans'. Jon Favreau was just that guy who'd done Elf....and he was being trusted with Marvel's first major superhero movie? James Gunn was agreed to be a funny, offbeat guy, thanks to Slither and Super, but wasn't considered to have anywhere near the experience necessary to shepherd a blockbuster space opera. Whedon had nerd cred in spades, but his only directorial history was with Serenity, widely considered to be the next best thing to a flop. The Russo brothers got the 'the biggest thing those two have done is some paintball episodes of Community...why the hell would Marvel pick them'? Brannagh was good at Shakespeare, everyone admitted - didn't mean anyone thought he knew how to turn a Norse god into a viable superhero. And Joe Johnston was a solid choice, but mostly because nobody had much in the way of expectations for the first Captain America movie and he was as good a choice as any.

You seem to think 'nerd cred' and 'safe bet' are the same thing. They aren't, and I never said those directors were a safe bet. But thank you for establishing some of their nerd credits PREVIOUS to working with Marvel for me.

Also, Kenneth Brannagh has the least nerd cred, but anyone familiar with Thor and Brannagh Shakespearean experience would immediately understand why he was such a great choice for a mythological, epic character like Thor.

I disagree. There was a lot of expectations for Captain America. It was the third leg of the Avengers, and the heart of the team. If that movie flopped, the Avengers would have been in trouble.

And Joe Johnston has the most nerd cred of them all. He was a protege of George Lucas and worked on Raiders of the Lost Ark and all of the original Star Trilogy and the original Battlestar Galactica. All but one of his 12 directed films are
SF/F, including the the lovely Rocketeer, another period comic book movie, as well as Jumanji.

You're absolutely right that to succeed, Captain Marvel needs the right director, and one who gets both Marvel comics and Marvel movies. But none of the previous Marvel directors were obvious choices, so I'd say Marvel has pretty good cred for picking the right directors for their movies despite everyone else's expectations.

Again, I never said the directors were obvious choices. You're trying to argue something I never said.

[Reviresco]

The thing is when people think Marvel movies they think superheros. A Black Widow movie would really be more of a spy movie than a superhero movie.

I think Guardians of the Galaxy, Blade, and Ghost Rider proved that wrong. Those aren't superhero movies. Cap II wasn't much of a superhero movie either. I don't think Doctor Strange is going to be a superhero movie, either. Marvel is clearly trying to expand into different genres than just capes and tights.

And if it's a good, well made movie, I think it would be accepted by the movie going public (WINTER SOLDIER certainly had a lot of elements of an espionage, paranoid thriller movie).

I think Scarlet Johannsen's schedule is more of a problem than a script....

Exactly.

I don't think ScarJo's schedule is filled through 2018.