Marvel fans have an insane amount of new content at their fingertips. In just the first 10 months of Phase 4, the MCU has added 3 films (including Eternals) and four television series. That's far more than ever before, and the pace is only set to increase.
But that won't keep audiences from wanting more. Any chance to get to dive into a Marvel character, or add to its vast lore, is a tale worth experiencing.
Back in the day, Marvel used to do these things called One-Shots. They amounted to basically short films that gave little bits of continuity that couldn't make it into its roster of films.
Will the MCU faithful ever see something like that again? Sure, there's now an endless stream of upcoming television shows––but that doesn't mean shorts can't be put on the list of things to do.
According to a big-time Marvel Studios producer, fans just might be getting their wish.
More MCU Short Films to Come?
The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe just hit stores, and it contains a treasure trove of new information on the creation of the MCU––as well as its future.
One specific section goes over the fan-favorite Team Thor short film, which depicted what Thor was up to during the events of Captain America: Civil War.
According to Marvel Studios producer Louis D'Esposito, it all happened simply because "Taika just had an idea... [while] on-set for Thor: Ragnarok:"
"As everyone was there on-set for Thor: Ragnarok, Taika just had an idea and said, 'Let's script. And you can see Chris Hemsworth's timing––he's truly amazing as a comedian."
The series of shorts continued on for three parts, where in the third, Thor's former roommate DAryl had to bunk with Jeff Goldblum's Grandmaster.
D'Esposito had nothing but good things to say about Goldblum as an actor, reminiscing about a time when the two "had dinner and [they] say and talked for two or three hours:"
"I completely adore the man. I remember after the Comic-Con event we had dinner and we sat and talked for two or three hours. And he is truly remarkable."
The actors themselves were all over the idea of the Team Thor shorts. The producer went on to praise Thor: Ragnarok's director Taika Watiti, saying that "his sense of comedy is truly amazing:"
"The actors really got into it––and it takes lots of energy to be ad-libbing all day long, but they love it... and I love watching Taika's brain work. His sense of comedy is truly amazing, because you hear him say something––he'll throw a thought or two out to them––and you can see it click. It just snowballs and gets crazier and crazier."
D'Esposito's love for those reinvigorated the desire to do more of them, and to start back up the projects akin to Marvel Studios' previous One-Shots like All Hail the King.
According to the producer, "[they're] working on them:"
"We're working on them. It's just finding the time. And I have a couple earmarked that I want to do."
What Short Films Are Next?
The real question is, if short films are truly being thought about for the future, what would they tackle?
It just came out that there used to be a short for each Guardian before Guardians of the Galaxy's release, in a bid to start the connection between the characters and the audience before the film. They were scrapped, but it does show an evolution of the One-Shot concept.
After all, there is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The team, and any new characters, could potentially benefit from it––especially given everything that film has to cover. That said, they will have The Holiday Special, so maybe the shorts should be given to someone else.
When Marvel Studios eventually introduces the X-Men, little shorts to introduce each team member before their appearance on screen could go a long way. But then again, they could do that with an anthology Disney+ series.
Hopefully, these talks become a reality, and fun short films can be made more often. Whether they are canonical and serious, or goofy and silly, it's good just to let the creative juices flow.
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