Days before The Marvels was released, Variety published a strangely negative article about the movie, which suggested that director Nia DaCosta somehow left the film and Marvel Studios in the lurch by starting work on her next project while the Captain Marvel sequel was still in post (even though this is something that happens frequently).
DaCosta would later shrug off the criticism, explaining: "By the time I left to start prep on my next film, everyone was so clear about what the film was, what we wanted. It really wasn’t this dramatic sort of thing people are thinking it is.”
Variety was accused of penning a "hit piece" on the movie, and more specifically, its director, and THR has now shared an even more eyebrow-raising article which really does read like a personal attack on the filmmaker.
In the article, which is titled "Why Marvels Director Nia DaCosta Bailed on the Cast-and-Crew Screening," the trade claims that Marvel staffers were "miffed" about DaCosta missing said screening to attend her own birthday celebrations. But they then follow up by noting that she wasn't even aware that the event was happening.
"DaCosta had not been invited to the cast-and-crew screening. Only when she invited some crewmembers to her birthday party did she learn of the screening, and by then it was too late."
DaCosta has previously made it clear that she only had so much input when it came to the creative direction of the movie, and that it was "Kevin Feige's film" at the end of the day. With this in mind, many feel these articles are a result of the studio essentially throwing her under the bus in an attempt to blame her for The Marvels' terrible performance at the box office.
Of course, it's entirely that Marvel Studios had nothing to do with this and it's simply a case of these trades exaggerating a (non) story for clicks, but whatever the reason, it definitely seems like DaCosta is being unfairly targetted here.
"In Marvel Studios’ The Marvels, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as The Marvels.”
The film also stars Zawe Ashton and Park Seo-joon. Nia DaCosta directs, and Kevin Feige is the producer. Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Mary Livanos and Matthew Jenkins serve as executive producers. The screenplay is by Megan McDonnell, Nia DaCosta, Elissa Karasik and Zeb Wells.