Nia DaCosta, director of the upcoming has a diagnosis for the recent struggles of superhero movies. It basically comes down to, she says, 鈥淢o鈥� money, mo鈥� problems.鈥�
Success inevitably breeds bigger budgets. Box-office expectations get inflated. Even superhero spandex can鈥檛 sustain endless cycles of wash, rinse and repeat.
鈥淕rowth has to stop at some point,鈥� says DaCosta. 鈥淎s you make more and more films, you want those films to be more interesting, more dynamic and to appeal to different audiences. But that requires risk. And there鈥檚 a conundrum where you鈥檙e so big that you can鈥檛 take risks. I think that鈥檚 what the audience is feeling. They鈥檙e like: 鈥業鈥檝e seen it before, and I liked it the first time.鈥欌��
When 鈥淭he Marvels鈥� opens in theaters Friday, it will be debuting in uncommonly uncertain times for superhero films. There鈥檚 . DC and Warner Bros. are in . Box office-dominance this year has been ceded to and
While no one鈥檚 doubting the supersized place of superheroes in Hollywood, mass success for Marvel no longer seems quite so automatic. For DaCosta, whose two previous films were and the acclaimed 2018 indie crime drama it鈥檚 imperative that superhero movies aspire to be fresh and daring 鈥� films, she says, like
鈥淭he more we can do that as an industry, the better,鈥� DaCosta said in a recent interview, praising the originality of that animated Marvel movie released earlier this year. 鈥淚 also think you have to not set your sights on such a big box-office return so then you can comfortably take risks.鈥�
鈥淭he Marvels,鈥� which stars Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Samuel L. Jackson, isn鈥檛 anyone鈥檚 idea of going far out on a limb. It鈥檚 loosely a sequel to 2019鈥檚 鈥淐aptain Marvel,鈥� which surpassed $1.1 billion worldwide. By any measure, 鈥淭he Marvels鈥� is one of the fall鈥檚 most anticipated titles.
But it鈥檚 also a big-budget attempt to try some new things. It鈥檚 the first Marvel movie to feature not just all-female leads but a female villain (Zawe Ashton plays Dar-Benn), as well. DaCosta, 33, is the youngest filmmaker to helm an MCU release. More importantly, she鈥檚 the first Black woman to direct a Marvel movie.
鈥淒ay to day, I don鈥檛 really think about it. But it is nice to finally have a Black woman directing one 鈥� it just happens to be me,鈥� DaCosta says, laughing. 鈥淲hat was cool about realizing that, I was sort of like: Wow, I鈥檓 the first Black woman. But I鈥檓 also the third woman and the fourth or fifth person of color. It was cool to see that I wasn鈥檛 just stepping into an all-white, all-male world.鈥�
鈥淭he Marvels鈥� brings together Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Larson), Monica Rambeau/Photon (Parris) and Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Vellani). While originally conceived as a post-鈥淓ndgame鈥� follow-up to 鈥淐aptain Marvel,鈥� Marvel chief Kevin Feige was drawn to the chance to unite Captain Marvel with Rambeau from and Ms. Marvel of
In 鈥淭he Marvels,鈥� the trio has become linked. Every time they use their powers, they swap places with each other, causing their worlds to collide in comic and surreal ways.
鈥淲hen I was reading the outline that they sent me initially before I was pitching, I was like, 鈥楾his is insane,鈥欌�� DaCosta says. 鈥淚t felt so comic book-y. I was like, 鈥榃ow, they鈥檙e really going for it.鈥欌��
DaCosta was drawn to what she calls 鈥渁 really crazy, sci-fi space opera鈥� that was wacky and tonally different from most MCU films.
鈥淚 wanted to honor what they set out to do, which is make something very frankly strange,鈥� she says.
The heart of the film for DaCosta is about the dichotomy of Danvers and Ms. Marvel. While Danvers has been tirelessly doing the solitary work of Captain Marvel out in deep space, Ms. Marvel鈥檚 foundation is her family.
DaCosta, a self-described workaholic, can relate.
鈥淚 mean, this my third film in six years and I鈥檓 onto my fourth,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 from New York City and my family鈥檚 mostly there and I鈥檝e never shot there since I鈥檝e been working. My mom once forgot to invite me to a family thing because she forgot I was in town. Stuff like that makes me go, 鈥業 need to connect more.鈥欌��
That鈥檚 hard, though, when you鈥檙e one of Hollywood鈥檚 fastest rising directors. DaCosta鈥檚 ascent has been meteoric but steady, yet she鈥檚 more comfortable with self-deprecation than self-promotion. Instead, her level-headed filmmaking talent 鈥� particularly for conjuring atmosphere and playing with perspective 鈥� has fueled her success.
DaCosta was speaking from London where she鈥檚 preparing to make an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen鈥檚 鈥淗edda Gabler,鈥� with 鈥淟ittle Woods鈥� star Tessa Thompson. With the holding up all studio productions, DaCosta was itching to get going 鈥� and only occasionally pacified by her half-Yorkie, half-Maltese dog named Maude.
After making 鈥淐andyman,鈥� a Marvel movie was, DaCosta says, 鈥渄efinitely not in my near future.鈥� But it also wasn鈥檛 entirely off her radar. She鈥檚 wanted to direct one since she started making films and traces her interest directly to Sam Raimi鈥檚 鈥淪pider-Man.鈥� She saw it when she was 12. 鈥淎nd I still love it,鈥� she says.
When DaCosta was tapped to helm 鈥淭he Marvels,鈥� Feige encouraged her to reach out to other Marvel movie directors for advice. The bit that most stuck with her came from 鈥淏lack Panther鈥� director Ryan Coogler. He said simply: 鈥淏e yourself.鈥�
鈥淚 was like, 鈥榃ait, what?鈥� Then I kind of got it,鈥� says DaCosta. 鈥淗e was like: Just bring yourself to it. It鈥檚 a big thing. It鈥檚 really a Kevin Feige movie, it鈥檚 a Marvel film. But they chose you for a reason.鈥�
READ ALSO:
