Marvel Studios is known for creating visual spectacles, and there have been plenty of books detailing the art and development of each of its movies. However, there has yet to be a book published about the trajectory of the studio as a whole.
It's hard to believe nowadays, but Marvel's film division was in bad shape just a couple of decades ago. This forced them to begin what is now the behemoth known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe with films featuring characters like Iron Man and Captain America who weren't already household names.
People will soon be able to read this true story, though, with the upcoming release of a two-volume collection of the story of how Marvel Studios became what it is today.
Kevin Feige Talks Marvel Studios' New Book
Marvel Studios released a new trailer for the book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, written by Tara Bennett and Paul Terry. The teaser features Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige describing how the book details "the history of what [those working at the studio have] been up to for two decades."
"All of us at Marvel Studios are excited to have, finally in one place, in two epic volumes, the history of what we've been up to for two decades. The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe chronicles from the early days of the studio before [the first Iron Man] all the way through the completion of the Infinity Saga, and everything in between."
Feige noted the personal connection that he shares with such a book and, in classic Feige fashion, acknowledged Marvel fans for their commitment to the superhero studio:
"I have always said, 'I'm a fan.' There's a story in this very book you'll read about the influence that behind-the-scenes books had on me personally, and I always thought, even at that time, wouldn't it be great, someday, that Marvel Studios had our own book that could inspire the next generation. I hope that's what this book does for all of our fans and really is a testament to them and what they've allowed us to do for over ten years."
The trailer also includes clips of authors Bennett and Terry speaking about the project, with Bennett calling it the "biggest in scale and scope" of all the books they have written, calling the size "appropriate for Marvel Studios."
Terry shared:
"For years, Marvel Studios gave us unprecedented access. We conducted more than 200 interviews, including all of the Marvel Studios producers, the creatives from every department of the studio, and the cast and crew of the Infinity Saga."
The book has been in the works for years - it was originally announced at 2018's San Diego Comic-Con - and was previously revealed to be over 500 pages in total.
The full trailer can be viewed below:
The Other Side Of The Infinity Saga Story
The Infinity Saga is beloved by Marvel fans all around the world, but The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will tell the story of what was happening on the other side of the camera.
The Art Of series has come out with some great books about the design of the individual films, but this book will have interviews with people in all different departments. Therefore, it will likely focus more on how the overall story itself was built as well as how and why certain decisions were made, such as bringing certain creatives on for various projects and why certain character and storylines were chosen to be adapted and incorporated into the MCU.
Since this book is official and Disney-sanctioned, it's unlikely to cover some of the more "messy" aspects of the story, such as the shifts in directors for movies like Thor: The Dark World and Ant-Man. The seemingly wide access given to the authors will hopefully make up for any missing pieces though, as the book will surely have at least some stories that have never been told before.
Seeing as so much has happened with Marvel Studios since principal production on Avengers: Endgame came to a close back in early 2018, it's likely that there will soon be enough material for a whole new multi-volume set on the next chapter of Marvel Studios. If The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a success, hopefully a sequel covering things like Marvel getting back the rights to the characters which were under Fox during the time period covered by this book and its ventures into Disney+ will come out someday.
The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be published on October 19, 2021, though the book is currently available for pre-order.
