Last night was a first for the president of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige – he actually was invited to the Golden Globes. Thanks to the massive success of “Black Panther,” Feige, along with many of the cast and crew, were invited to the awards ceremony thanks to the film earning two nominations, including Best Drama. And while on the red carpet, the ever-evasive Feige opened up to MTV about “Avengers: Endgame,” “Guardians of the Galaxy 3,” Adam McKay, and of course, “Black Panther.”
First, it was clear that the Marvel Studios exec was ecstatic about “Black Panther” being up for awards, and obviously becoming the cultural phenomenon that it became. “[‘Black Panther’] is certainly the most important victory we’ve ever had,” said Feige. And when you’re talking about a studio with almost two dozen hit films, with another one in 2018 reaching over $2 billion, that’s saying something.
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But with 2019 upon us, all eyes are on the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the big film on the horizon, “Avengers: Endgame.” Of course, the first bit of news to come out about ‘Endgame’ was the trailer that seemed to give next to zero information about the film other than the title. And with months, and months, of speculation about what that title was going to be, with most “in-the-know” nerds saying that it was 100%, absolutely, without a doubt going to be “Avengers: Annihilation,” fans felt silly when the ‘Endgame’ title was right in front of them all along.
Feige was asked on the red carpet if ‘Endgame’ had been the title from the get-go, or if it was changed after all the speculation over the title became so commonplace. Despite reports to the contrary, the producer says ‘Avengers 4’ was always going to be ‘Endgame.’
“[The title] was in place before we started developing the movie, or just as we were developing it,” revealed the Marvel Studios boss. “So, Doctor Strange says that line because we knew it was the title.”
The line of dialogue that Feige is referencing is, of course, the now-famous line where Strange turns to Tony Stark and says, “We’re in the endgame now.”
When asked if rumors and speculation that the marketing for “Avengers: Endgame” would only focus on the first 15 or so minutes of the film is accurate, Feige said, “I would call it somewhat accurate, yeah.”
He continued, “Being able to generate excitement without giving away any of the many, many, many secrets would be ideal.”
The other big news of 2018 that didn’t involve Wakanda or Thanos was the news that James Gunn was fired from “Guardians of the Galaxy 3.” And even though it’s been months since the announcement, Feige says there’s nothing new to report, other than the fact that the three-quel is still happening.
“’Guardians’ will happen — when, where, or how… [that’s] for a later time,” he said.
On a lighter note, the Marvel Studios boss did talk about the recent comments made by Adam McKay about how the director would love to tackle “Silver Surfer” as a potential film, once the Disney/Fox deal is finalized.
“[Adam McKay is] an honest-to-goodness fan,” he said. “He did a lot of behind-the-scenes help with us on the first ‘Ant-Man’ film.”
Feige added, with a grin, “I look forward to speaking with him more.”