Netflix CEO recalls “Fistfight” with Marvel TV on the show defenders: “They wanted to make money”

In 2013, Netflix and Marvel Television scored what was then the greatest deal in the history of TV, engaging in five series focused on Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist, all culminating in the crossover event in the Crossover event The defenders.

While the reactions to the team-ups have been conflicting, the individual shows have been well accepted, with Daredevil even generating a big one Punisher spin off.

But in 2018, everything collapsed. With Disney preparing its streaming service, Netflix pulled the spine to Marvel shows and Marvel television was finally absorbed in the Marvel studies, giving Kevin Feige Complete creative control.

The old television regime Marvel, led by Jeph Loeb and supervised by the former president of Marvel Entertainment iSaac perlmutterIt was gone.

Reflecting on that era in a recent interview with Variety, CEO of Netflix Ted Sarandos At the time he did not hold back the frustrations with Marvel television.

“By far, our Marvel agreement [in 2013] It was the largest deal in the history of television. Nobody will ever touch him. We are engaged in five original seasons of pilots without pilots, 13 expensive episodes for each show focused on a character. And then a crossover season. In the end, we learned a lot about the entertainment sector on that agreement “.

In Sarandos it was asked if he believes that the Disney+ Marvel series was successful, which he replied: “I think they are. I want to say, I don’t know why they don’t release any number.”

But when it came to actually work with Marvel television, it was clear that their goals did not align.

“In our shows, we had to do with the old television regime Marvel, which operated independently of Disney. And they were thrifty. And every time we wanted to make the shows bigger or better, we had to slam on them.

“Our incentives were not well aligned. We wanted to make a great television; they wanted to make money. I thought we could make money with a great television.”

Sarandos stressed that budget clashes were constant: “You want to work with people whose incentives are aligned with yours. When people produce for you, they are trying to produce as cheap as possible. My incentive is to make it as big as possible. It is a lesson that I take forever.”

And then he eliminated everything: “As producers, whatever [Marvel] They did not spend, they kept. So every time we wanted to add something to the show to make it better, it was a fist. “

It is not exactly shocking given the famous reputation of Perlmutter for Penny-Pinching, who in the end led Kevin Feige to ask Disney Bob Iger Bull’s separate Marvel studies from the influence of Perlmutter.

Despite those struggles, Netflix Defenders Jacania ends up being a point of reference on superhero TV. And while not all the shows hit the mark, Daredevil Only the agreement was worth and paved the road Daredevil: born again.