Having grown up reading X-Men and Spider-Man comics, filmmaker Nia DaCosta always envisioned herself making a Marvel movie. So, when the opportunity to direct Captain Marvel 2 came around, she jumped at the chance.
"On Candyman, it was like I had training wheels on to learn how to be a director inside of a studio system," she tells 12DOVE. "From a practical point of view, my first extensive VFX were on Candyman. It was nothing compared to this but you know, I didn't have a VFX supervisor on my first film, and then I had one, so I knew how to work with that department head. On this one, though, that relationship is so much closer, so much deeper. But I had a bit of a jump start, I guess, from Candyman."
There's also the responsibility, too, of keeping several executives happy while staying true to your own vision, as well as the pressures of pleasing longtime fans of the franchise. The Marvels, which sees Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), and Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) forced to form an unlikely team when their powers become mysteriously entangled, is not only 33rd MCU movie so far; it's technically a follow-up to four previous titles, including Ms. Marvel, WandaVision, and Secret Invasion. And a fifth, as well, though DaCosta, whose only other feature-length credit outside of Candyman is indie drama Little Woods, is keeping quiet on what that one is...
"[Candyman] definitely helped because it was a big brand – not just MGM but Jordan Peele is a brand in and of himself. It was an IP, too. Candyman is so well loved, I loved Candyman when I was younger and I love horror," she says. "But it got me kind of used to that One Man, Two Guvnors energy.
"There's a lot of people you're making the movie towards and this was just an even bigger, more exaggerated version of that; bigger brands, even bigger personalities, even bigger IP, even more fans. It's a huge, huge thing."
One aspect of The Marvels Candyman couldn't help prepare DaCosta for, however, is working with animals. "You have to dedicate time in the schedule for it," she laughs. "But you cannot be optimistic about the timing when you're scheduling for pets. Cats do what they want." Fortunately, thanks to Marvel budgets, they had some of the best trainers in the biz on hand, which meant that "even the kittens were, like, hitting their marks".
While Captain Marvel introduced us to Goose, Carol's furry Flerken bestie, The Marvels is full of felines – for reasons we've actually yet to find out. Great news for cat lovers, obviously, but for DaCosta, who's allergic to them just like Larson is, it was a more of a challenge. Not that she let it stop her reveling in the novelty of having the mini moggies on set.
"It was crazy. I mean, they mostly go from one place to another because there's food at the end. But you know, it was really cool to see how it worked. It was really fun on days where we had kittens," she recalls with a big grin. "Everyone was like holding one and walking around, even me and I'm allergic. They're just so cute."
When it comes to The Marvels' human cast members, DaCosta got to reunite with Candyman star Parris ("It was both of our first times making a huge film like this. It was really exciting"). That familiar presence during filming helped ease any nerves she had, though she needn't have worried much as this wasn't Larson's first rodeo, and she wasn't shy about sharing all she learned on the first movie off-camera.
"Brie's done it before," says DaCosta. "There was actually this really funny day; she and Teyonah were in my office and Brie's, like, laying on the couch, hands behind her head and she was like, ‘Here's how it's gonna go, here's what's happening. Don't worry'. She was basically just like, 'We're all gonna get through this. It's gonna be great, but here are some tips for how to bend and not break' sort of thing.
"Iman was just the best. She was 18 when she started the shoot, 19 when we finished the principal photography, and is just a really great human being. She's so lovely and so enthusiastic and professional. She's amazing."
As the release of The Marvels draws ever closer, its promotional material continues to tease the introduction of the X-Men; a theory bolstered by the fact that in the Ms. Marvel finale, Vellani's Kamala discovers from her pal Bruno that's a mutant. While DaCosta "can't say" how the movie builds on that jaw-dropping reveal, she can't help but gush about how cool it was to technically dabble in that world.
"X-Men is, like, my thing, I love the X-Men so much. I love the films, most of the films. Either way I got to have a mutant in my movie, so that was fun!" We suspect, given DaCosta's reaction and her long history with Charles Xavier's team, Kamala won't be the only one who'll rock up in the final feature.
The Marvels releases in UK and US cinemas on November 10. Keep your eyes peeled later this week for the full interview on the Inside Total Film podcast.
For more right now, check out the full list of upcoming Marvel movies. Or, if you need to catch up beforehand, you'll need our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order.
