Going on board the biggest franchise in the world can be quite daunting. Before taking on the job as the director of The Marvels, Nia DaCosta talked to former Marvel directors to gain support and see if she should take the job. It helped her through the big decision and assisted her more when production began on the upcoming film.
The Marvels is the first MCU project for the filmmaker. It makes sense for her to feel nervous and overwhelmed from her indie background. She first caught attention in Hollywood and the indie scene for Little Woods. Horror audiences put her on their radar after her 2021 take on Candyman.
Nia DaCosta on Becoming The Marvels Director and Support From Other Marvel Directors
In an interview with Vanity Fair, The Marvels director reviewed her decision process. To make up her mind, she had to ask essential questions to Chloé Zhao (Eternals), James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), and Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok). Those questions for the veterans of superhero movies included, “Are they going to kill me and destroy my soul?” The other question was what most Marvel fans wonder, “Is Kevin Feige a bad man?” Her worried curiosity about the Marvel Studios boss was quieted as everyone agreed that “he’s just a cool guy who was a nerd.”
Making any movie is difficult. During the worst days on set, she found comfort from Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). She would text him about feeling “overwhelmed” and “stressed.” Much of that was due to the logistics of some scenes. Directing actors can get tricky when all anyone sees is a blue or green screen with some markings on it rather than a physical prop or set.
“Sometimes you’d be in a scene and you’d be like, ‘What the hell does any of this sh– mean?’ Or an actor’s looking at some crazy thing happening in space, and they’re looking at a blue X. There were obviously hard days, and days where you’re like, ‘This just isn’t working.'”
The Marvels director will be delivering something quite different for the MCU. It will have a gimmick that ties its story together as Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), and Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) get their powers entangled, making them swap places when using their abilities. During this wild time, they will be joined by Samuel L. Jackson, Zawe Ashton (Velvet Buzzsaw), Mohan Kapur (Ms. Marvel), Park Seo-jeon (Parasite), Zenobia Shroff (Ms. Marvel), and Saagar Shaikh (Ms. Marvel).
The Marvels will be released on November 10.
