Director Quentin Tarantino is once again attacking Marvel films and more specifically its actors, and he is not tender!
Quentin Tarantino is not going to make only friends! In the recent podcast 2 Bears, 1 Cave (via Variety), the filmmaker discusses the demise of movie stars, blaming Marvel movies in particular for it and lashing out at its headliners:
One consequence of the Marvel-ization of Hollywood is that you have all these actors who rose to fame playing these characters. But they’re not movie stars, are they? The star is Captain America. Or Thor. I’m not the first to say it. I think it’s been said a billion times…but franchise characters become stars.
Feeling the harsh responses to his remarks, Quentin Tarantino, nevertheless took the trouble to recall that as a child, he was a fan of Marvel comics and to add:
“SIf these movies had come out when I was in my twenties, I would have been totally thrilled and loved them. I mean they wouldn’t have been the only movies made. They would have existed among other films. But you know, I’m almost 60 so good. They don’t excite me too much.”
He pursues :
My only complaint against them is that they seem like the only movies getting made. And the only thing that seems to generate even a little bit of excitement with the public and the studio that makes them. (…) There isn’t really a lot of space for anything else. This is my concern.
Fervent defender of the “independent blockbuster” of which he was one of the pioneers during the 1990s, Tarantino has less and less his tongue in his pocket, especially on the subject of superhero films.
In response to the director’s remarks, actor Simu Liu, who plays Shang-Chi in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, took to Twitter to share his strong disagreement:
marvel studios
“If the only judges of who gets to stardom were Scorsese and Tarantino, I would never have had the opportunity to lead a film with a budget of over $400 million. I am in awe of their genius filmmakers, they are wonderful writers, but they don’t calculate me or anyone.”
“No studio is or will be perfect, but I’m proud to work with one who strives to increase diversity on screen and create heroes who empower and inspire people of all communities around the world. I love the ‘golden age’, too. But it was awfully white.”
However, Twittos were quick to point out that in 2017, Anthony Mackie, interpreter of Falcon then Captain America in the MCU agreed with the director of Reservoir Dogs:
“Anthony Mackie is not a star. Falcon is. And it’s strange, because before we were going to see the last Stallone, Tom Cruise, Schwarzenegger, Will Smith (…). Now we come to see X -Men. The development of superhero movies has led to the death of stars. And that’s the big fear right now. Because we’re making movies for 16-year-olds and China. Nothing else.”
Do you share this vision? Do you defend Marvel movies and their stars? Your keyboards !