The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has accomplished many significant feats over the years, extending its influence from the big screen to the small screen with an expanding slate of TV shows. But recent revelations from the writers of the Marvel TV series have raised questions about the studio’s creative direction, leading some to worry that Marvel may be mirroring WB’s path during the Snyderverse era.
WB’s handling of the Snyderverse films, like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, should serve as a lesson for other studios wary of interfering with creative freedom.
Marvel is reportedly looking for a new creative team and starting from scratch on its new Daredevil reboot after deciding that the series’ initial episodes were not moving the project in the right direction.
Is Marvel Mirroring The Mistakes Made By WB During the Snyderverse Era?
The Marvel shows have recently faced a number of creative challenges, which has led to a significant shift at the studio to make TV shows in a more conventional way. Exactly the same thing happened in Zack Snyder’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League films.
In a recent report by The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel had fired former Daredevil: Born Again head writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman because their vision for the project did not align with its own. Brad Winderbaum, Marvel’s production and development executor, reportedly told The Hollywood Reporter:
“We’re trying to marry the Marvel culture with the traditional television culture. It comes down to, ‘How can we tell stories in television that honor what’s so great about the source material?’”
Daredevil: Born Again is by no means the studio’s first problematic production. It is important to note that Moon Knight, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, and Secret Invasion all underwent significant revisions, including the replacement of their respective headwriters.
On the TV side, Marvel employees have voiced concerns about a lack of a unified vision, which, according to sources, has started to cause creative tension and disagreements on the studio’s shows. An insider with knowledge of the Marvel process told THR:
“TV is a writer-driven medium. Marvel is a Marvel-driven medium.”
Directors might feel undervalued despite the fact that the company does not prioritize writers in its TV production. According to one person familiar with the action:
“The whole ‘fix it in post’ attitude makes it feel like a director doesn’t matter sometimes.”
Moreover, Marvel has plans to employ showrunners who will draft show bibles and pilot scripts in the future, adhering to a more conventional TV production process.
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Zack Snyder Said WB Was ‘Aggressively Anti-Snyder’
Months after the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, director Zack Snyder discussed the state of the Restore the SnyderVerse movement. He had envisioned a five-part story arc for the DC Extended Universe. Plans, however, were altered as a result of the conflicting reaction to Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.
After principal photography, when Snyder was no longer involved and Joss Whedon had taken over, the Justice League underwent significant changes. During an interview with Jake’s Takes, the director was asked what advice he had for those who were still holding out hope that the Snyderverse would be revived. The director shared:
“Warner Bros. has been aggressively anti-Snyder if you will. What can I say? Clearly, they’re not interested in my take. But I would also say that they certainly weren’t interested in — I would have said originally — in my take on Justice League. They certainly made decisions about that.”
Will Marvel take note of the errors made by their rivals and reconsider their creative approach, or will they run the risk of alienating their audience by not prioritizing creative innovation?
Well, one thing is still certain: Marvel Studios needs to be careful to preserve the creative integrity that has helped the company achieve its current position.
