A clear divide appears to be forming in Hollywood between filmmakers who cry foul at the merest mention of the superhero movie, and those that accept the big budget comic book adaptations for what they are; a necessary fixture of the schedule that bring in billions of dollars annually and provides crowd-pleasing entertainment.
In one corner you’ve got the likes of Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Jane Campion and Ridley Scott, none of whom have spoken particularly highly about the merits of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the other there’s Kevin Feige, who claims that awards season is biased against the sort of content his outfit puts out.
Stuck in the middle is Stellan Skarsgard apparently, after he offered perhaps the most measured take on the debate we’ve heard so far. However, another acclaimed independent darling that doesn’t have an issue with the MCU is Paul Thomas Anderson, as he revealed to The New Yorker.
“Obviously it’s gotten even more complicated with streaming and the sort of overabundance of superhero movies. Most of the stuff I don’t take too seriously. I mean, it seems that there is a bit of a preoccupation with superhero films. I like them. It seems to be something that’s popular these days to sort of wonder if they’ve ruined movies and all this kind of stuff. I just don’t feel that way. I mean, look, we’re all nervous about people getting back to the theater, but you know what’s going to get them back in movie theaters? Spider-Man. So let’s be happy about that.”
Anderson has previously outed himself as a Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings fan, so he knows that Marvel has a place in the hearts and minds of audiences everywhere. You can’t argue with his logic, when the inevitable success of Spider-Man: No Way Home will continue rebuilding the theatrical business to its former glories after a tough couple of years.