NEW YORK (AP) ā Nia DaCosta, director of the upcoming has a diagnosis for the recent struggles of superhero movies. It basically comes down to, she says, āMoā money, moā problems.ā
Success inevitably breeds bigger budgets. Box-office expectations get inflated. Even superhero spandex canāt sustain endless cycles of wash, rinse and repeat.
āGrowth has to stop at some point,ā says DaCosta. āAs 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 thereās a conundrum where youāre so big that you canāt take risks. I think thatās what the audience is feeling. Theyāre like: āIāve seen it before, and I liked it the first time.āā
When āThe Marvelsā opens in theaters Friday, it will be debuting in uncommonly uncertain times for superhero films. Thereās . DC and Warner Bros. are in . Box office-dominance this year has been ceded to and
While no oneās 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 itās imperative that superhero movies aspire to be fresh and daring ā films, she says, like
āThe more we can do that as an industry, the better,ā DaCosta said in a recent interview, praising the originality of that animated Marvel movie released earlier this year. āI also think you have to not set your sights on such a big box-office return so then you can comfortably take risks.ā
āThe Marvels,ā which stars Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Samuel L. Jackson, isnāt anyoneās idea of going far out on a limb. Itās loosely a sequel to 2019ās āCaptain Marvel,ā which surpassed $1.1 billion worldwide. By any measure, āThe Marvelsā is one of the fallās most anticipated titles.
But itās also a big-budget attempt to try some new things. Itās 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, sheās the first Black woman to direct a Marvel movie.
āDay to day, I donāt really think about it. But it is nice to finally have a Black woman directing one ā it just happens to be me,ā DaCosta says, laughing. āWhat was cool about realizing that, I was sort of like: Wow, Iām the first Black woman. But Iām also the third woman and the fourth or fifth person of color. It was cool to see that I wasnāt just stepping into an all-white, all-male world.ā
āThe Marvelsā brings together Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Larson), Monica Rambeau/Photon (Parris) and Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Vellani). While originally conceived as a post-āEndgameā follow-up to āCaptain Marvel,ā Marvel chief Kevin Feige was drawn to the chance to unite Captain Marvel with Rambeau from and Ms. Marvel of
In āThe Marvels,ā 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.
āWhen I was reading the outline that they sent me initially before I was pitching, I was like, āThis is insane,āā DaCosta says. āIt felt so comic book-y. I was like, āWow, theyāre really going for it.āā
DaCosta was drawn to what she calls āa really crazy, sci-fi space operaā that was wacky and tonally different from most MCU films.
āI wanted to honor what they set out to do, which is make something very frankly strange,ā 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. Marvelās foundation is her family.
DaCosta, a self-described workaholic, can relate.
āI mean, this my third film in six years and Iām onto my fourth,ā she says. āIām from New York City and my familyās mostly there and Iāve never shot there since Iāve 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, āI need to connect more.āā
Thatās hard, though, when youāre one of Hollywoodās fastest rising directors. DaCostaās ascent has been meteoric but steady, yet sheās more comfortable with self-deprecation than self-promotion. Instead, her level-headed filmmaking talent ā particularly for conjuring atmosphere and playing with perspective ā has fueled her success.
DaCosta was speaking from London where sheās preparing to make an adaptation of Henrik Ibsenās āHedda Gabler,ā with āLittle Woodsā star Tessa Thompson. With the holding up all studio productions, DaCosta was itching to get going ā and only occasionally pacified by her half-Yorkie, half-Maltese dog named Maude.
After making āCandyman,ā a Marvel movie was, DaCosta says, ādefinitely not in my near future.ā But it also wasnāt entirely off her radar. Sheās wanted to direct one since she started making films and traces her interest directly to Sam Raimiās āSpider-Man.ā She saw it when she was 12. āAnd I still love it,ā she says.
When DaCosta was tapped to helm āThe Marvels,ā Feige encouraged her to reach out to other Marvel movie directors for advice. The bit that most stuck with her came from āBlack Pantherā director Ryan Coogler. He said simply: āBe yourself.ā
āI was like, āWait, what?ā Then I kind of got it,ā says DaCosta. āHe was like: Just bring yourself to it. Itās a big thing. Itās really a Kevin Feige movie, itās a Marvel film. But they chose you for a reason.ā
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This story first moved on Sept. 6, 2023, as part of APās Fall Film Preview package. This is an updated version ahead of the film's Nov. 10 release.
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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at:
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
