Earlier this week “Hitman” and “Cold Skin” director Xavier Gens spoke about having turned down an offer to helm a Marvel Studios feature in the past and explained his reasons why. Now he’s updated his comments to further clarify what he said following some vocal responses to his initial comments.
There’s no question Marvel Studios is something of a factory – the movies are part of a well-oiled production pipeline and so while there’s certainly an amount of creative freedom within, like any major franchise from “Star Wars” to James Bond, there are also some restrictions.
Speaking to French outlet Le Point (via Saxon) earlier this week, Gens spoke about his brief discussions with Marvel Studios about a project in the future saying how his superhero experience would have been mainly with actors while other filmmakers took over the action scenes and this did not sit well with him:
“I was in discussion [with Marvel], but I understood that the previews of the digital effects and action scenes were done by a box in London, and that I would be there to take care of only the direction of the actors. It is not very interesting. This is, I believe, why Edgar Wright declined ‘Ant-Man,’ because at one point, on these productions, you are reduced to just directing fields/reverse fields on actors in front of a green background.
Directing a Marvel film can make a great calling card, but I’m not even sure that the names of the directors of ‘Captain Marvel’ are remembered today… I have already had a catastrophic experience with a studio, ‘Hitman,’ and I don’t want to do it again, especially at 45. I prefer to direct ‘Gangs of London’ or produce ‘Papicha,’ much more important to me than any Marvel. Besides, I refuse all American orders.”
This doesn’t come as much of a shock. More action scenes in tentpole films are now being outsourced in some ways to specialist stunt and fight choreography teams such as the acclaimed 87eleven who helped out on this year’s DC Comics adaptation “Birds of Prey”. Said teams though work closely with directors, production designers, etc. on the planning and execution of action.
Marvel is famous for taking filmmakers where action isn’t necessarily their forte, such as the Russos or the aforementioned “Captain Marvel” directors, and handing them the reigns to big budget tentpole action blockbusters so that they have access to their own in-house support network would make sense.
Gens followed up those initial comments with The Playlist, further clarifying his feelings:
“I was in discussion with different studios, but now I understand that the previews of the digital effects and action scenes are done by VFX companies like the Third floor in London, and that I would be there to take care of only the direction of the actors.
As director living in Europe, we are in charge of the entire process of the film. This is, I believe, why most of the European directors decline US studio movies. Because at one point, on these productions, you are reduced to just directing fields/reverse fields on actors in front of a green background. In Europe, we are responsible for the film from the beginning to the end.”
He has a point as on the one hand Argentinian director Lucrecia Martel turned down “Black Widow” for similar reasons, and famously Brit helmer Edgar Wright walked away from “Ant-Man” during pre-production.
On the other, New Zealand director Taika Waititi managed to keep a good part of his own stamp on his first foray with “Thor: Ragnarok” and is happily coming back for “Thor: Love and Thunder” which is quickly becoming a defacto fifth “Avengers”.