As the first decade of the new millennium comes to an end, we look back at the era that saw our favorite comic book heroes from the house of Stan Lee making the leap from the page to the silver screen.
To bring us a first-hand perspective of the Marvel movie experience, President of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige recounted the hard work and big payoffs that catapulted Marvel (and comic book movies on the whole) to the cinematic power horse it is today.
I’ve taken the liberty of cutting down Feige’s quotes to Marvel News down into some smaller snippets that should help spark fond feelings of comic book movie nostalgia:
Trying to Break the “Marvel Curse”
I started at Marvel proper in August 2000; I had been working as an associate producer on “X-Men” in 1998. We worked on that for almost three years. Back in those days there was the “Marvel Curse.”…We just kind of kept of our head down and made the movie. We focused on the characters and kept it true to the comics.
Opening Night of X-Men
We didn’t know what to expect. The trailers were well received, but there were still a lot of doubters when the first photo of Wolverine was leaked onto the Internet. When the crowd started cheering, it just felt like the start of something big.
Spider-Man sets records
The movie brought Marvel and Spidey back into pop culture. Audiences around the country would cheer for the Marvel logo when it appeared on screen for that movie, and that was astounding.
Expanding the Brand
After the first Spider-Man, we had three movies in the works: “Daredevil,” Ang Lee’s “Hulk” and “X-Men 2″…All three of those movies did really well. That was the first year people started to ask me when I thought this fad was going to end, and my answer to that question even to this day is that as long as we keep making these films in fresh and unique ways it’s never going to run out.
Critical Acclaim
In 2004 came “Spider-Man 2.” I think that was one of the best films we’ve ever done…There was even talk of Alfred Molina being up for an Oscar [for his performance as Doctor Octopus].
Too Much of a good thing
This got studios wanting to move forward with a lot of the characters faster. Things got a little out of our hands then. That’s when we started thinking above making the movies internally…”Spider-Man 3″ got to be too much of a good thing…we learned that bigger is not always better.
Keeping Everything In House
“Iron Man” and “The Incredible Hulk” wound up being the first films we produced at Marvel Studios by ourselves. It was great to get those titles back in our own hands. When you know the characters as well as we do, it’s great to look at their cinematic potential.
Building a Marvel Movie Universe
We had a lot of names on the list when it came to casting Tony Stark, but Robert Downey Jr.’s quickly rose to the top. Then, getting Samuel L. Jackson to make a cameo as Nick Fury was also huge. After that, Robert was nice enough to stop by the “Incredible Hulk” set. This set up that Marvel Studio films are really going to bring the Marvel Universe to the big screen-the films are no longer their own separate island, and you never know what to expect.
A Bright Future
To be honest the thing that I’m most excited about right now though, is the screen test we just finished for “Thor.” We’ve done some costume tests and watching the Asgardians walk onto the sound stage takes me back to that first time I saw the X-Men on the set all together in Toronto. Only it was unlike anything we’ve ever put on film before! It’s great to be starting the next decade in such an exciting way just as we did last decade. We’re really redefining the comic book genre and what a Marvel movie can be. It’s going to be great.
There is so much more to this interview with Feige – if you want to read it all, go HERE.
As you head into the year 2010 (pronounced “twenty-ten,” BTW) be sure to stop and take a look back at the decade that made your fondest fanboy wishes into realities and consider what to look forward to from Marvel Studios and all comic book movies in the next decade.
Got to know where you’ve been to know where you’re going. Happy New Years, all.
Source: Marvel News
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Silver Surfer movie please. And make it more Iron Man and less Fantastic Four. That is all I want from Marvel.
I think Marvel has done an outstanding job thus far with the movies under their control. I fully expect Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers to be great, fun and enjoyable films. Spidey 4 I am not so optimistic about (same thing with the X-Men properties), but one can always hope that both Sony and Fox manage to recapture the magic they had with the first 2 films in both of those franchises!
CAP AMERICA is where is at that gonna launch them in to mega succes i think that movie will be bigger and make more money than any movie besides tdk. in the comic book movie genre of course
Marvel is awesome! Keep it coming. We love our comic book characters and hope for more movies in the future.
Btw, love the pic at the top if the page with all the characters.
What are the details of the X and Spider Man agreements? When can Marvel/Disney get the rights back and under their own studio? …away from Fox and Sony. I’d love to see a “versus” or “team up” type movie among the X-Men/FF/Avengers. All three versus Galactus? Skrull invasion? The budget on casting alone would make it nearly impossible, but it’s fun to imagine.
Jusr an animated version would be neat.
so is there a chance for a pixar SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN film?
Remember, Marvel Studios did not do the Fantastic Four. I am looking forward to that being written better.
Thor and Avengers are Marvel Movies that I am really looking forward to. I hope they can pull it off.
I am still hoping that X-Men gets done properly.
Blade came before X-Men didnt it?
Feige may have had nothing to do with it ,
But Blade began The Marvel Revolution of Movies .
While the first Blade came out in 1998, Blade was (then) a third tier character. Blade was a supporting character in Tomb Of Dracula. However, I am a little surprised that Blade isn’t in that photo montage; didn’t the sequels and a short lived TV show show up in the just passing decade, or not?
Also MIA in that montage photo: two Punishers and a Man-Thing.
third tier character or not, blade definitely started the ball rolling. his third tier status is probly the reason for its success. not a big fanbase so not alot of ppl knew about him. cause of that, they could pretty much make it however they wanted to and it paid off. sure it wasnt as big as xmen or spidey, but still nothing to sneeze at
You guys are right, I had forgotten about Blade the first and second movies were actually enjoyable.
Well, The Punisher is standing next to Nightcrawler .
Its reall y hard to say if anybod was excluded because there are too many images there.
Some of them are VERY small,
Somebody ought to blow that picture up .
Do a who,s who on the Marvel Montage.
I think Man Thing is the farthest to the left.
At first I thought it was Dr. Doom.
But Doom is closer to the front .
so, I have to assume Blade is in there somewhere.
We just cant see him.
Also, he is probably the comic version not the film version.
I’m not sure that Feige is correct about the Marvel curse being around in 1998..since Blade made $131Million worldwide in 98..X-Men gets too much credit for Marvel’s success, Blade layed the ground work
I think Blade is behind Colossus . Colossus is on the left of the picture.
Most people didnt even know Blade was a comic book character!!! He was just a vampire in a vampire movie.
I want to see a Daredevil sequel, same cast minus Jennifer Garner.
And as for Spiderman to be rebooted with a decent cast and a director who has the faintest clue of who Spiderman and Peter Parker actually are!!!
And for X Men first class to have a really good story, so far the X men movies have two good movies and two awful movies. Lets tip that scale back toward greatness.
Christopher M & Darren, I agree with you.
Really, all the credit has to go with the first Blade film. Blade set the standard in showing that you can take a comic book property and make it serious without going to the campy side. X-Men gets too much credit for what Blade did.
All I want to know is when is disney/marvel going to get the rights from Parker Brothers for “ROM SPACEKNIGHT” now that would be a great movie.
@ kenoboss
Yeah ROM!!! I had the toy when I was a kid and I still have the comic Rom #1 (I think its worth about 3 bucks.lol) The roms would fight those aliens with the drill tongues. Come to think of it… it was all a little derivative. What the hey… he looked like a stylin’ cylon with a volkswagon exterior. An animated ROM movie would be kickin’.
And when are we gonna get a Black panther movie?! Probably after Avengers, to set T’Challa up for entry into Avengers 2.
I am still waiting for a Luke Cage movie.
Oh, and when they do finally make an adult version of x-men, I say cast Gina Carano as rogue. Not only can she fight, but she has the rogue look.
Oh, and when they do finally make an adult version of x-men, I say cast Gina Carano as rogue. Not only can she fight, but she has the rogue look.
Marvel Movies = more misses than hits.. but they have enough good films: the 2nd X-Men and Spidey movies, the first Hulk, Iron Man.. hope they keep up the good work and Thor and Cap don't disappoint