Nia DaCosta, the director for the upcoming Candyman remake, was hired last month to direct Captain Marvel 2. Its predecessor was directed by the duo of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. This is not to mention that the writing of Captain Marvel 1 now solely falls onto the shoulders of just one person, Megan McDonell, instead of several. A clean slate for the cosmic sequel is set to release in theaters on July 8, 2022.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Eternals director Chloé Zhao sounded her appreciation towards Marvel Studios for allowing her to take risks and do something different. Shortly after this interview was posted, Nia DaCosta voiced her own support for Zhao on Twitter.
NEWS
Shortly after The Hollywood Reporter interview was posted on Twitter, newly hired Captain Marvel 2 director Nia DaCosta retweeted the interview with her own comments.
Need to talk about this hair-cape, that Zhao still writes fan-fiction, the way she talks about creative freedom! Obsessed. https://t.co/7ZN8iYU21E
— Nia DaCosta (@NiaDaCosta) September 3, 2020
WHAT THIS MEANS
While Captain Marvel didn't set the world on fire like Black Panther did with critics or review as poorly as Thor: The Dark World, it clearly had a lukewarm reception with critics. Statistically speaking, Captain Marvel did perform below average with critics compared to the rest of the franchise. Not to mention the uncomfortable themes of militarism and propaganda that surrounded it, more so than most other MCU movies.
So, when it was announced that Captain Marvel 2 would not only have a new writer but a new director with Nia DaCosta, it gave fans some hope that Marvel Studios would attempt to do better with the sequel and be receptive to what faltered with the first. Without the burden of having to introduce their first female lead character in the MCU or worrying about how she'd fit into their saga concluding epic, it seems likely that DaCosta could have more freedom than Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.
Of particular note DaCosta's comment about "...the way she talks about creative freedom!" Considering that DaCosta was recently hired by Marvel Studios to direct Captain Marvel 2, this could be seen as DaCosta supporting the idea of creative freedom at Marvel Studios that Zhao expressed in her interview. One can't help but think and hope that she is being given the same kind of freedom that Zhao was given for Eternals.
