This is the story of how Marvel found its greatest success by embracing one filmmaker’s complete creative freedom.
In May 2015, news broke thatSelmafilmmakerAva DuVernaywas meeting with Marvel about potentially directingBlack PantherorCaptain Marvel.
Because its really a marriage, and for this it would be three years.
Itd be three years of not doing other things that are important to me.
So it was a question of, is this important enough for me to do?"
Thats how the conversations continued, because thats what I was interested in.
Image via Marvel Studios
But everyones interested in different things."
“This is my art.
This is what will live on after Im gone.
Image via Marvel Studios
So its important to me that that be true to who I was in this moment.
And if theres too much compromise, it really wasnt going to be an Ava DuVernay film.”
I loved that they reached out to me.
Image via Marvel Studios
Which means the creative freedom of the filmmaker involved would have been limited.
By October 2015,F.
This is one of the reasons the MCU films can feel a little same-y in their aesthetic.
Image via Marvel Studios
Coogler even sought screenplay advice fromDonald GloverandStephen Glover, who gave notes on the film.
That was one of the first things I talked about.
And they were completely interested.
Image via Marvel Studios
But the truth is, were really fromthatplace.
The majority of the crew was Black or [certainly] a lot more than usual.
For me, it was behind the camera that was the most revolutionary.
Image via Marvel Studios
Like, Oh yeah, we can do this.
This is a Marvel film, and were doingthis.'
That was not an accident, as Coogler explained:
Thats African, man!
Image via Marvel Studios
Coogler says, laughing.
Thats my tribes world.
I thought thats one of the things that makes TChalla brilliant.
He knows how to get out of the way of amazing women in his life.
People didnt just see the movie and move on.
Black Pantheris a complex, deeply involving film about the morality and cost of isolationism.
Films likeBlack PantherandThor: Ragnarokare singular visions.
Next week, we dig into the making ofAvengers: Infinity War.
If you missed my previous How the MCU Was Made articles, choose the links below:
