MCU Director Discloses the Secret to Winning a Marvel Studios Job

By Russ Milheim Updated:
She-Hulk, Marvel, Jennifer Walters MCU

Star Wars may have gotten to start the year off with The Book of Boba Fett for Disney+, but Marvel Studios is already gearing up to make up lost time judging by its potential slate of projects set to hit the streaming service this year. First up is Moon Knight before Ms. Marvel, Secret Invasion, Werewolf By Night, and the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special come later in the year. Then, of course, there’s also She-Hulk in the mix.

The show is set to be a completely new experience for MCU viewers, with reports teasing that the project will be a sitcom-style comedy. Rumor has it there are even fourth-wall breaks like the ones seen in Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool movies.

The character's circumstances are likely to play into lots of the show’s comedic moments. The lead character, Tatiana Maslany’s Jennifer Walters, is a lawyer by day in her Hulk form throughout the show - an image which should be enough to give an idea of the wacky humor that’s expected.

Now the show’s director has commented on how much she loved the comics and how her passion was the key to landing the gig.

How to Become an MCU Director

She-Hulk, Tatiana Maslany
Marvel

In an interview with Collider, She-Hulk director Kat Coiro spoke about her passion for the source material and how that same enthusiasm landed her the job with Marvel Studios.

Coiro made it clear how “[she is] a huge fan of the MCU… [and] of the She-Hulk comics,” and revealed the process of getting the job was a “huge and involved process:”

"I’m a huge fan of the MCU, and I was actually a giant fan of the She-Hulk comics, so when I heard they were making it, I went full-court press and really sold myself as the person to bring this story to life. It was a huge and involved process. Marvel is one of the most collaborative environments in the world. Even though he’s producing so many things, Kevin [Feige], and Lou [D’Esposito] and Victoria [Alonso] and Brad [Winderbaum], have such a hand in everything.”

The director continued praising her experience at Marvel, saying that it was “never about anybody’s ego.” Coiro credits her "passionate" view of She-Hulk and Marvel that ultimately earned her the directorial position:

“The process was really about getting on the same page and making sure that we were like-minded. It’s never about anybody’s ego. It’s about bringing these stories to life. It was a long process, but those processes to get a job become very easy when you’re really passionate about the material, which I was in the case of that one."

As for the show itself, the woman behind the new green hero was tight-lipped. Coiro did, however, make it clear how she “[is] really happy with it” and that the hope is to “satisfy the fans:”

"I can’t say very much about the show, but I’m really happy with it. Part of what I appreciate about the MCU is that it’s an ever-expanding universe. It’s almost like an organic being that really responds to what’s going on in the culture and really listens to its fans. I will say that I think there’s a real connectedness to the people who love the MCU and listening to what they want, and I hope we satisfy the fans."

Marvel Dream Job?

Something that seems fairly consistent across many of Marvel Studios’ projects is the praises sung about the collaborative environment. The MCU would not have become what it is today if it was a terrible place to be—stories and collaborators would be consistently falling through the cracks.

Sure, there’s a creative difference that might arise from time to time, but at the end of the day, that’s natural. Disagreements are bound to happen. Even with those incidents, Marvel’s track record is clearly still excellent.

With her passion for the She-Hulk character, it’s hard not to wonder if Kat Coiro would want to come on board again for a second season. With it being a legal comedy-drama, it seems more stories should be fairly easy to fit into the wider MCU. 

After all, Marvel can’t let Peter Parker be the only one with a really good lawyer.

- About The Author: Russ Milheim
Russ Milheim is the Industry Relations Coordinator at The Direct. On top of utilizing his expertise on the many corners of today’s entertainment to cover the latest news and theories, he establishes and maintains communication and relations between the outlet and the many studio and talent representatives.