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PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 25 april 2018
'Infinity War' caps a decade of success for Marvel Studios

By LINDSEY BAHR "Iron Man" hitting theaters
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mar- has provided an excuse
vel Studios President Kevin to reflect a bit. He still re-
Feige talks about his job like members the early days,
a fan who's just lucky to be when they had everything
there. to prove and felt grateful
To hear his genuine enthusi- for the chance to produce
asm about the movies, the films on their own. While the
actors, the audience and grand plans and concur-
the stories almost belies the rent filmmaking have got-
fact that he is essentially ten more complex over the
the architect of and driving years and "the days have
force behind Hollywood's gotten longer," Feige said
most valuable brand that the fundamental process-
has in just over 10 years es for how they make films
netted over $14.8 billion goes back to the begin-
in worldwide grosses (ac- ning.
cording to comScore) and "It was in the cutting rooms
become the envy of every This image released by Marvel Studios shows, from left, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Jr., Dave of 'Iron Man 1' that in a lot
studio executive in town. Bautista, Chris Pratt and Pom Klementieff in a scene from "Avengers: Infinity War." of ways the Marvel Studios
He's a mogul with a fan- Associated Press process was born — of
boy's verve who has just keep trying things and
helped to change the very now the third highest-gross- film. And we had meetings The Fight for the Future of keep turning things over
fabric of the entertainment ing domestic film of all time. earlier today about 2024 Movies." ''People are like, and don't rest on your lau-
industry. "We dream big at Mar- and 2025." 'Oh I know what you're do- rels and just because some-
Ten years ago, many mov- vel Studios. We have very Misunderstanding Feige's ing, you're trying to copy thing is working doesn't
iegoers didn't know who lofty aspirations at Marvel vision is almost a tradition Marvel.' But Marvel did mean it can't work better,"
Iron Man was, and those Studios. For those dreams at this point, going back to it first and Marvel has still Feige said.
who did thought of him to be surpassed is saying Comic-Con in 2006 where done it best." Audiences won't have to
as a minor comic book something," Feige, 44, said he revealed his plans for "Sequel fatigue" doesn't wait too long for anoth-
character. On Thursday, of "Black Panther's" success. the first few films —Iron even seem to apply to Mar- er Avengers, either. The
Marvel Studios' 19th film, And it shows no sign of slow- Man, Ant-Man and The vel films anymore. fourth Avengers film, also
"Avengers: Infinity War," an ing down, or running out of Incredible Hulk — and all "I think you can look at directed by Joe and An-
epic mashup of charac- story. They have 70 years of anyone wrote about is how Marvel as a grand narra- thony Russo and written by
ters once considered to be comic book source mate- Marvel Studios didn't have tive experiment," said 'In- McFeely and Christopher
part of the "superhero B-list," rial to draw on, after all. the rights to Spider-Man finity War' co-director Joe Markus is just around the
from Iron Man to Star Lord, "There are still things that (Sony does), the X-Men or Russo. "Never before in films corner, set for a May 2019
opens in theaters world- are key elements to a lot the Fantastic Four (those have we seen this many release. It's a continuation
wide. It is cruising for a re- of our characters in their reside at 20th Century Fox). franchises combined over of the story that begins in
cord-breaking debut that comic incarnations that Now, few would argue that this many years into one gi- "Infinity War," where a still-
could surpass "Star Wars: we haven't even done yet Iron Man, Captain Ameri- ant mosaic. Two-hour, two- fractured Avengers face
The Force Awakens" as the for characters who have ca, Thor, Black Panther, the dimensional storytelling has Thanos (Josh Brolin). Little
biggest opening ever. had three or four movies," Guardians of the Galaxy dominated American cul- is being revealed beyond
The scope of the Marvel ef- Feige said. "It is an amazing and even Doctor Strange ture for 100 years and now that. The film premiered
fect is somewhat difficult to wealth of creative material and Ant-Man aren't veri- we're consuming content Monday night in Los Ange-
pin down, especially with a to pull from." table A-listers on their own, with such extreme speed les and is said to be full of
force as formidable as The Feige is amused when re- and even more powerful that we need new forms surprises.
Walt Disney Co. behind it. porters try to predict Mar- together, making up what of storytelling. I think what "We make movies we be-
(Disney acquired Marvel vel's next move, or make is perhaps Marvel's great- Marvel is doing is a new lieve in. We make movies
Entertainment for $4 billion big conclusions based on est innovation — the Mar- form of storytelling." that we think will be enter-
in 2009.) what's just happened. Un- vel Cinematic Universe. This "Infinity War" co-screenwrit- taining to ourselves and
It's revitalized careers (Rob- der Feige, Marvel is not idea of an interconnected, er Stephen McFeely, who think about ourselves as the
ert Downey Jr.), minted looking in the rear-view mir- ever-expanding "universe" also co-wrote the three first audience members for
movie stars (Chris Hem- ror. of characters and films is Captain America films, said any movie we make. Any
sworth, Chris Evans and When "Thor: Ragnarok" something that many have Feige should get the film idea that comes up in a
Chris Pratt, to name a few), came out, he remembers since tried to copy to vary- academy's Irving G. Thal- room: Would we be enter-
and become an outpost reading articles declaring ing degrees of success. berg Memorial Award for tained by this? Would we
for Oscar-winners too (like that, "Marvel is committing It seems audiences don't his impact on the industry. be moved by this? Would
Robert Redford, Gwyneth to a surrealist, silly tone" and begrudge Marvel for cre- "He's clearly changed the we be surprised by this?"
Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, just laughed. ating the concept, but are way Hollywood works, or Feige said.
Natalie Portman, Jeff Bridg- "I thought, 'We have 'Black somewhat more skeptical at least the top box office "It goes back to the mov-
es, Michael Douglas and Panther' coming out in of those trying to capitalize end of it," McFeely said. "It's ies I loved growing up. I al-
Cate Blanchett). three months! They don't on it. in part because Kevin has ways loved sequels. I never
And beyond that, every even know what's com- "(Marvel's) approach a really good mind for story found myself being cynical
few months the studio ing,'" Feige said. "We're al- doesn't seem nearly as — he's ambitious — but he's or dismissive of sequels. If
seems to be breaking new ways thinking ahead. Just cynical as when you see not so ambitious that he's they were bad, I was disap-
ground, whether it's as when people think they another studio trying to do not going to do the right pointed. But I always loved
small as a change in tone, can pin us down, we go it with, say, Ghostbusters or thing for the movie in front the promise of seeing the
like "Thor: Ragnarok," or as somewhere else and that's DC," said Wall Street Jour- of his face." further storylines or further
big as producing a down- going to happen again af- nal reporter Ben Fritz, who While navel-gazing isn't adventures of characters
right cultural phenomenon, ter 'Infinity War' in the build- delves into Marvel's history Feige's favorite activity, I'd grown to love. That's all
such as "Black Panther," up to the next Avengers in the book "The Big Picture: the 10-year anniversary of we're doing."q