With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 being just the latest Marvel Studious movie to be No. 1 at the box office, it seems like Marvel has turned big-time blockbuster filmmaking into an art form. They make it look easy, but that's just because Kevin Feige and company exhaustively search not only for the right actors, but also the best directors. And that takes some serious work! Finding the perfect director is no easy task, and Feige recently spoke about Marvel's search methods when it comes to finding a director and why they don't just put an ad on Indeed. He said:
We meet a lot of people. We watch a lot of films. We have a lot of meetings and those turn into multiple meetings and discussions and brainstorming about the project and about the character with various filmmakers. Then we just get it to the point where we decided we've found the right people to work with for two, three, four years, to bring a character to life.
Fans love the characters and actors of the MCU, but the directors are just as vital to the formula, if not more so. Not only do they have to bring their own flavors and vision to the project, but they also have to be able to stay inside the massive sandbox that Marvel has built for them. As such, Marvel looks at a lot of different names and goes through the careful process of narrowing the search down. As Marvel Studios president and all around gift to humanity Kevin Feige told Coming Soon, this process involves a lot of meetings, watching films and brainstorming. Then when they have a top choice, they make sure it's someone they'd like to work with for the new three years (or more if they really like you).
We've seen this selection process most recently with Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the duo who were chosen to direct Captain Marvel, which will star Brie Larson as Carol Danvers. That project has been in development for years now, and Marvel took their sweet time before making the official announcement. Keeping in line with what Kevin Feige said, the two were reportedly chosen for their take on the story and the emphasis on characters in their filmography, despite having no blockbuster filmmaking experience (not that many Marvel directors do before they get the job).
Marvel Studios certainly takes care in its selection process, and it's clearly worked well for the company. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the 15th No. 1 opening for the studio in a row. Marvel has been building up a stable full of reliable directors they can call on for results, like the Russo brothers and James Gunn. Plus, the studio has a habit of turning these directors into superstars themselves, so it's not like they aren't getting a lot of bites on their hook.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is in theaters right now, and let's not forget Spider-Man: Homecoming, heading to theaters later this summer on July 7.
