Logan director James Mangold recently shared his thoughts on cinematic universes, and it turns out he’s not a big fan of them. In fact, he says that movies that build universes across multiple movies are “the enemy of storytelling.”
He shared his thoughts on this as Deadpool and Wolverine is about to be released in theaters and shortly after the trailer for it was released Bob Dylan biopic, A complete strangerpublished online.
During an interview with Rolling Stone, Mangold was asked if he would create his own “cinematic universe” by bringing back actressJohnny Cash by Walking the lineand he said:
I don’t do multiverses… It’s weird that I’ve worked in the IP-based entertainment world, because I don’t like building universes across multiple films.
I think that’s the enemy of storytelling. The death of storytelling. People are more interested in how the Legos connect than how the story plays out in front of us.
I understand what you mean, but I also think that if done well, with care and a clear plan for a complete story, these cinematic universes could be a great way to tell a story! But if there is no clear plan and no real ending, things could get really complicated.
Mangold continued to talk about his goals as a director saying:
For me, the goal always becomes, ‘What’s unique about this movie and these characters?’ Don’t make it sound like some other movie or some Easter egg or something, which is all an intellectual act, not an emotional act. You want the movie to work on an emotional level.
Again, I think you can achieve this in a cinematic universe if you have a proper narrative structure with well-defined character arcs. It’s not easy, it can be done, but it takes a really strong storytelling talent to pull it off.
In any case, don’t expect to see Mangold directing an MCU film anytime soon! He’s making a Star Wars film, but the story it wants to tell is so far removed from any other Star Wars films that it doesn’t have to worry about connecting it to any existing films.
Mangold is also making a The Swamp Thing film for DC, but I think it will be a standalone film that won’t necessarily connect to any of the other films in the works.
What do you think of what Mangold said about cinematic universes?
by Joey Fear
Source: Geek Tyrant
Lloyd Grunewald is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. He is a talented writer who focuses on bringing the latest entertainment-related news to his readers. With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and a passion for writing, Lloyd delivers engaging articles that keep his readers informed and entertained.
