It is well known that Hollywood likes to turn its successes into sequels. But few recent films have had to contend with such heavy pressures – both on screen and behind the camera – as the new superhero adventure “The Marvels.”
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This feature film, released in France on Wednesday, is the first work in the Marvel Universe with an exclusively female lead and is not only consistent with the events of the 32 other films in the series, but also borrows from the plots of two television series.
Carol Danvers, aka “Captain Marvel” (still played by Brie Larson), is thus assigned two partners from the Disney+ series “WandaVision” and “Miss Marvel”: Monica Rambeau, played by Teyonah Parris, and Kamala Khan, played by Iman Vellani.
Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan in Marvel Studios’ “The Marvels.” Photo by Laura Radford, provided by Marvel. Photo by Laura Radford, provided by Marvel
The three women are forced to band together to save the universe when an anomaly causes them to accidentally swap bodies when using their superpowers.
A plot twist that Marvel films are used to, but one that fuels fears that audience fatigue with superhero adventures could deepen.
According to Variety magazine, following the franchise these days is more like “schoolwork” than entertainment.
Photo by Laura Radford, provided by Marvel
For director Nia DaCosta, the challenge of the film was to alternately explore the heroines’ backgrounds and follow their crazy new adventures in space.
“We tried to honor their stories,” she explained, summarizing her questions. “What do we need to see in this next phase for all the characters and how can we balance that?”
difficulties
The film also faced challenges off-camera: in order to complete the film, filming had to continue for four additional weeks, and the release was delayed several times.
Rumors circulated that Marvel studio boss Kevin Feige would take over the film. According to Variety, Ms. DaCosta even left the project during post-production.
The person concerned denied this information to AFP.
“The core of the story is about three characters meeting and discovering each other for the first time,” said producer Mary Livanos, confident that audiences can “follow and appreciate the story” without being unbeatable in the Marvel universe .
Adding another difficulty, the Hollywood actors’ strike, which just ended Wednesday night, prevented the cast from promoting the film before its release.
And like “Captain Marvel,” which hit theaters in 2019, “The Marvels” faced a campaign of sexist online trolling over its first three female roles.
Sisterhood
Analysts do not predict a brilliant fate: they expect sales of $ 60 million at the American box office in the first weekend, which would be exceptionally low for a Marvel film.
But Ms. Livanos wants to be confident. The producer recalls that several projects directed by women are currently a hit in the USA.
“It’s really exciting and it’s a happy coincidence that the film is coming to theaters this fall after this incredible summer with Barbie and Taylor Swift,” she emphasizes, hoping that the film can capitalize on this momentum.
For Ms. DaCosta, Marvel’s youngest director, hired at 30 and with only one acclaimed independent film to her credit, sisterhood is a recurring theme.
Her debut film, Little Woods, tells the story of two sisters struggling to escape poverty, a criminal past and an unwanted pregnancy, who must come together to support each other.
“That’s pretty much how I saw these three characters, (…) three sisters who have to find themselves – and find each other,” she says. “In the Marvel Universe, that means becoming a great superhero team.”