Marvel to Produce and Finance Their Own Movies

[stacer]

http://www.cinescape.com/0/editorial.asp?aff_id=0&this_cat=Movies&action=page&type_id=&cat_id=270338&obj_id=49584

What y'all think?

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

I think it'll largely end up like when they tried to do their own distribution. They don't have the might behind them that DC does (being owned by Time Warner). Thus I think they will have problems.

But maybe I'm just cynical.

[42]

I too am a little cynical. Marvel comics make more money than DC, but they don't have the financial backing that DC has.

It would be a phenominal success if Marvel manages to pull this off. They really can't afford to have any of their movies flop.

I can see some of the potential movies listed as being highly anticiated, mostly Captain America, Dr. Strange, and the Avengers (though the comics aren't that great, but with the right spin could be cool). Some, like Cloak and Dagger, could be great cult films. Others, like Ant-Man and Shang-Chi, make me think that this whole venture is predestined to fail.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Cloak and Dagger I can see surpassing just cult classic if done right. I think that could be at least as cool as Hellboy.

However, I don't think Marvel can pull it off still.

[42]

Of the list given, Cloak and Dagger is the one I want to see them get right.

I hope they make Captain America has a period piece. It really should be an homage to WWII culture.

Avengers I wouldn't touch without getting paid up-front. It's just too muddled.

I prophetically announce, either Avengers or Ant-Man will dash their dreams, depending on which comes first.

[Fellfrosch]

I wasn't too excited about Captain America (despite him being one of my favorite heroes) until you mentioned WW2--that would rock. Do his origin story (minus Bucky, of course), and show him leading infantry raids and commondo ops against the Red Skull in wartorn Europe. That would absolutely rock.

[The Jade Knight]

They actually made a film called "The Avengers" starring Sean Connery.

I don't think it did well, and it wasn't his best film.  I'm unsure if it's related to the comic or not, as I am not familiar with the comic at all.

[42]

They actually made a film called "The Avengers" starring Sean Connery.

I don't think it did well, and it wasn't his best film.  I'm unsure if it's related to the comic or not, as I am not familiar with the comic at all.

The two aren't related. The comic Avengers is Marvel's equivalent of DC's Justice League (but not at well done). It was formed by Captain America and has a ever-shifting membership including (at various points) Black Panther, Ant-Man, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, the Hulk, Wolverine, and even Spiderman.

[The Lost One]

Marvel could get the financing done but it would probably require investing seed money in a seperate corporate division and then finding some venture capitalist to back them up. The entrepreneural market for movies may not be the best right now as many movies flopped this summer but I wouldn't count Marvel out.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

The idea, I believe, is that they are trying to retain complete control. (Nevermind that this will eliminate revenue from sales of license options).

Anyway, that's why they want to hire writers and directors. But who wants to work for a one-trick studio? Superhero movies are a blast and all, but come on, is that all you want to do at all? i think this will reduce the pool of talent they'll have available and will require tons of unforeseen expenses.

If the problems arising from distributing their own comic titles drove Marvel to Chapter 11 (and they did), how do they expect to get away successfully with setting up a new division so expensive, vast, and complicated as a movie studio? I'm sure they have lots of business guys who've banged this idea around a lot, but I'm sure they did that with trying to get away from working with Diamond Distribution too.