While Marvel Studios is continuing to build its brand with new A-listers coming into play for Phase 4, the team behind the MCU is also keeping up its trend of turning newcomers into Hollywood superstars. This is already happening with actors like Simu Liu in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Iman Vellani in Ms. Marvel, and the same appears to be happening behind the camera as well.
One of the names at the forefront of that movement is Nia DaCosta, who teamed up with Marvel Studios in late 2020 as the director of 2022's The Marvels. Taking on a project that features Brie Larson's Captain Marvel, Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau, and Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan is no easy task, but Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and the team appear to have supreme confidence in her plans.
With her first major directing effort on Candyman finally here, DaCosta found a way to showcase her prowess with Marvel's history in her initial talks with the MCU team. In a recent interview, she shared some details on how exactly she put her vast knowledge of the comics on display.
DACOSTA TEASES X-MEN AND GALACTUS
The Marvels director Nia DaCosta spoke with The Guardian about her initial pitch to Marvel Studios, which included heroes and villains from the X-Men and Fantastic Four lore.
In her first chat with Marvel producer Mary Livanos, DaCosta admitted that she "nerded out" and revealed her pitch for a "Galactus, Storm, and Scott Summers team-up movie." Although DaCosta felt Livanos simply "endured" her comic-book movie rant, the producer seemed to give DaCosta "a lot of confidence" that she would be able to put her passion into her work on The Marvels:
“I just nerded out. I was like, here are the movies I think you should do! Galactus, Storm and Scott Summers team-up movie! Blah blah blah! She just endured me going in super-deep. And she also gave me a lot of confidence that I would have the creative latitude to not just basically be a puppet on a string.”
A NERD MAKING A NERD'S MOVIE
If nothing else, DaCosta is making it clear that her love and knowledge of comic books and comic book movies are being channeled in the right direction thanks to Marvel Studios bringing her on board.
Fans are certainly looking forward to seeing X-Men characters like Storm and Scott Summers/Cyclops, potentially in outings like The Mutants; excitement is also building to see a version of Galactus that's more than just a giant cloud in the sky, à la Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. While DaCosta may not be involved with these characters specifically, her knowledge of the source material is more than evident.
The wait now begins to see what DaCosta can accomplish using three of Marvel Studios' top female heroes alongside key supporting characters like Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury. With no signs pointing to plot details or even a time period in which the movie will be set, there is plenty of mystery still surrounding what the MCU newcomer will bring to the big screen.
The Marvels is currently filming and will debut in theaters on November 11, 2022.
