Marvel’s disastrous TV production pipeline should serve as a lesson to Hollywood
Starting with WandaVision, Marvel Studios has made it clear that it will not follow the traditional, tried-and-true methods of making television that have worked for decades. Marvel is replacing showrunners (executive producers and writers who form the creative vision for a series, sit at the top of an individual show’s creative food chain, and see a series through from inception to completion). , they chose to hire a so-called showrunner. The term “head writer” troubled veteran broadcast writers as soon as it was adopted. Marvel’s approach stopped the strain on Kevin Feige and his film executives, who limited the authority of the “head writer” in order to have tighter control over the final product. “Television is a writer-driven medium,” one Marvel official told The Hollywood Reporter. “Marvel is Marvel-driven media.”
That process led to some unfortunate situations behind the scenes. Moon Knight creator and screenwriter Jeremy Slater has reportedly left the series, with director Mohamed Diab taking over the series. According to THR, Secret Invasion creator Kyle Bradstreet had been writing the script for about a year, but was “fired when Marvel decided to take it in a different direction” for the show. A significant portion of the program’s staff was also replaced, including key positions such as line producers, unit production managers, and assistant directors.
Jessica Gao, who developed and wrote the script for She-Hulk: The Lawyer, appears to have “stepped down” in favor of the show’s director, Kat Coiro. Gao ultimately returned to help with post-production, but this appears to have been a dream come true moment for Marvel Studios: According to THR, the company now plans to hire and bring on board a showrunner. “Gao’s post-production work on She-Hulk helped give Marvel insight,” he said, adding that the show would benefit from having creative consistency from start to finish. ”
Marvel also plans to hire a dedicated TV executive as part of the process moving forward, rather than leaving the role to a movie executive. “We need executives who are dedicated to this medium and focused on streaming and television,” Marvel Studios head of film Brad Winderbaum told THR, “because they’re different formats.” Ta.
With a level of arrogance usually accorded to the comic book Supervillain, this company known for its innovations in the theatrical field was so convinced of its own greatness that it forced an entirely different medium into its approach. I tried to make them obey. But unlike most supervillains, at least Marvel seems to be acknowledging that their approach isn’t working and that they’re changing course.
