Only three women have directed an MCU film so far, and Mélanie Laurent was almost one of them! In fact, the French director and actress was one of the final two candidates to direct a Marvel film that will be released in 2021. She recently detailed a recruitment process like no other.
A French director very close to the MCU
There is currently only one Marvel film directed by a French director: The Incredible Hulk, released in 2008 and directed by Louis Leterrier. That’s how he is the second MCU feature film, three months after the release of Iron Man. Since then, many directors have worked on the film one after another 33 films that this cinematographic universe currently encompasses. However, we count only three directors : Cate Shortland for Black Widow and Chloé Zhao for The Eternals in 2021 and Nia Da Costa in 2023 for The Marvels.
Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) – Black Widow ©Marvel Studios
An Australian, a Chinese and an American, but it came close the first French director to direct an MCU film. Indeed, as she recently pointed out, Melanie Laurent was on the shortlist to direct Black Widow.
“In the end there were only two of us!”
At the microphone of Pierre Lescure on the show Beau geste on November 19, 2023, the actress and director, whose latest film Voleuses is a hit on Netflix, explained how Marvel Studios had offered her the opportunity to write and direct Black on stage Widow stars Scarlett Johansson and will ultimately be directed by Cate Shortland. New and interesting details as they reveal Marvel Studios’ recruiting process.
I had a nice time! It took 7 months. There were 300 of us, it was a fight. “We were 300…” The first meeting was the image I had of Black Widow and that I would like to have of her. So still very free. In fact, I almost accused them of “Thieves.” I told them, “I want Black Widow to have girlfriends, be a little nice, wake up in the morning with her hair disheveled. They looked at me a bit like that (“confused”, editor’s note). ). ..
I had no news for three months. Suddenly they called me and said, “In ten days you’re pitching Black Widow to us.” I say, “That means?” “Well, you’re pitching the movie to us.” So I’m writing a Marvel book in ten days? “, “No, but you can come with photos and drawings, I have to penetrate into the universe that you will create.” (…) So I wrote the script. I did a sequence and the zoom lasted 3 hours and 30 minutes!
The final step, which was crazy, was going to Los Angeles, meeting them all, Marvel’s biggest producers, in a huge room, and that’s where I had to do the trailer for Black Widow as a reference. It’s crazy work! In the end there were only two of us left. It was crazy pitching these people… I love learning. As long as I’m learning, I’m happy.
Unfortunately for Mélanie Laurent, the other candidate, Cate Shortland, was chosen to direct Black Widow. But it’s a great achievement to have made it to the final selection round, especially given the very special way Marvel Studios works…