How Captain Marvel's Reshoots And Editing Helped Clarify The Story
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a well-oiled machine, and it's been on a serious roll with Phase Three. Every single blockbuster in the current slate of movies has been a critical and box office hit. This includes Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Captain Marvel, which was the final movie to arrive in theaters before Avengers: Endgame broke records and delivered countless plot twists.
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck did have a lofty job ahead of them, adapting a lesser-known hero's origin story into live-action, while also breaking new ground for the MCU. And as it turns out, the movie really came together in the editing and reshoot process for the duo of directors. As Boden recently explained to CinemaBlend's Eric Eisenberg:
Anna Boden makes a great point. Movies are primarily a visual medium, so it's easier to craft scenes and the overall narrative of them once there's footage to manipulate. And since blockbusters like Captain Marvel come with reshoots built into the schedule, there's the ability to include additional footage to move the storytelling forward.
In her conversation with Eric Eisenberg, Anna Boden also directly references test screenings as an integral part in the filmmaking process for Captain Marvel. Having actual eyes watching drafts of the movie allowed the narrative to be fine-tuned, and changes to be made that might help the movie become more user friendly. Its an effort that worked, as Carol Danvers' origin story made a ton of money at the box office.
Related: Why Reshoots For Marvel Movies Aren’t A Big Deal, According To Kevin Feige
In the same conversation with CinemaBlend, Ryan Fleck also the true help that Marvel's reshoots schedule was in the making of Captain Marvel. As he put it:
Getting Annette Bening was a major get for Captain Marvel, and the American Beauty actress ultimately played two separate characters: The Supreme Intelligence and Mar-Vell / Dr. Wendy Lawson. In order to make sure the audience could follow these mysterious figures, additional scenes were shot that could give appropriate exposition.
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Captain Marvel made a big splash in her solo movie, and popped up as a supporting character in Avengers: Endgame. While not involved in the Time Heist, her powers were a macguffin for multiple plot points, and she was shown crossing over with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Kevin Feige has teased that she'll have a major role in Phase Four, although the studio is still keeping its cards close to the chest.
Captain Marvel will be available for home purchase on June 11th, and the title character can be seen in theaters for Avengers: Endgame. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.