‘The Marvels’ Director Nia DaCosta Says She Still Has Relationship With Marvel Crew and Shares Kevin Feige’s Thoughtful Gesture

Director Nia DaCosta recently opened up about her experience with The Marvels and her journey as a filmmaker. DaCosta and actress Tessa Thompson spoke at the Sundance Film Labs, where she was working on her debut feature, Little Woods. That early connection clearly left a mark on her.

Despite the drama surrounding her and Thompson’s collaboration on The Marvels, DaCosta says she doesn’t hold any grudges.

She explained, “There’s no ire in any of my energy. I was on the Avengers set a couple weeks ago because I still have relationships with these people.” She also mentioned Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, saying, “He wrote me a letter for my UK visa.”

DaCosta has also been honest about the final version of The Marvels. She previously told The Hollywood Reporter that the movie that came out in 2023 wasn’t what she had originally planned.

“It was interesting because there was a certain point when I was like, ‘Ok, this isn’t going to be the movie that I pitched or even the first version of the movie that I shot,’” she said.

DaCosta had to make a tough choice when she left The Marvels during post-production to work on her next project. She faced some criticism and even anonymous briefings against her. She responded, “They knew the entire time that I had an obligation – a greenlit movie with people who were waiting for me.”

She explained that the film went through many changes, including rewrites and reshoots, which took it far from her original vision. “So, I realized that this is now an experience, and it’s a learning curve, and it really makes you stronger as a filmmaker in terms of your ability to navigate,” DaCosta said.

While she tried to be flexible, it’s clear she wasn’t fully happy with how things turned out. “The way they make those films is very different to the way, ideally, I would make a film. So you just have to lean into the process and hope for the best. The best didn’t happen this time but you kind of have to trust in the machine,” she added.

The Marvels ended up being one of the biggest box office disappointments in Marvel history. Reports say the film lost the studio over $300 million, which is a huge shock for a franchise that usually does very well.

The first Captain Marvel movie, released in 2019, earned over $1 billion worldwide. Critics and fans said The Marvels felt messy, trying to mix action, comedy, and emotional moments but not quite succeeding. With multiple main characters like Carol Danvers, Kamala Khan, and Monica Rambeau, many felt the movie didn’t give enough time to develop each character properly.

Even though The Marvels didn’t turn out as she hoped, DaCosta seems focused on learning from the experience and moving forward in her career.

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