Inside the Troubled Production of ‘The Marvels’
It is no secret that Marvel Studios’ upcoming film The Marvels may be in trouble.
A sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel, the film will see Carol Danvers team up with Ms. Marvel and Photon to create the newest Marvel superhero team.
Photo: Entertainment Weekly
While Marvel release shakeups are not particularly unique, The Marvels holds the distinction of having had five different release dates. The film was originally scheduled to be released on July 8, 2022, before being moved to November 11, 2022. It was then scheduled for a February 17, 2023 release, before being delayed again to July 28, 2023. Finally, the film moved to its current release date of November 10, 2023.
According to a new Variety report on the behind-the-scenes turmoil at Marvel Studios, The Marvels was moved out of its February 17, 2023 slot to make way for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania which was deemed further along.
How ‘The Marvels’ Hurt ‘Quantumania’
This shift put the VFX professionals working on Quantumania in an untenable position. With postproduction on the film pushed up by four months, the film’s special effects were lambasted by critics and fans alike. After the credits rolled at the film’s world premiere in February, the poor CGI was the talk of Hollywood.
Photo: Empire
“There were at least 10 scenes where the visual effects had been added at the last minute and were out of focus,” says one veteran power broker who was there. “It was insane. I’ve never seen something like that in my entire career. Everyone was talking about it. Even the kids of executives were talking about it.”
A Troubled Production
The move back to June wasn’t enough time for executives to try and salvage The Marvels, and thus the film was pushed back to November.
Photo: Entertainment Weekly
After an unprecedented test screening of the film drew a tepid response, The Marvels underwent four weeks of reshoots.
Eyebrows were further raised when director Nia DaCosta began working on another film while The Marvels was still in postproduction.
Earlier this year, the director moved to London to begin prepping for her Tessa Thompson drama Hedda.
Photo: Entertainment Weekly
“If you’re directing a $250 million movie, it’s kind of weird for the director to leave with a few months to go,” says a source familiar with the production.
Tracking Towards Disaster
All of the behind-the-scenes drama will be swept under the rug if The Marvels proves to be a hit.
Unfortunately for everyone involved the film is tracking toward an opening of $75 to $80 million, about half of what Captain Marvel delivered in 2019.
Photo: Entertainment Weekly
Of course, the box office has drastically changed in the post-pandemic world. This year films have either shot to unprecedented heights or bombed.
The Marvels could still deliver a surprise opening should anticipation build in the 10 days before the film’s release. Or, it could buck the trend of recent Marvel movies and show legs at the box office following a middling debut.
Photo: Also Entertainment Weekly
If The Marvels does fail, however, the questions surrounding the viability of Marvel Studios and the future of the MCU will only get louder.
