MCU Shows Run Differently than Normal TV, Explains ‘TFATWS’ Director

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the most successful film franchise in town and their television series are run differently than other studios, says the director of the hit show The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.

Phase 4 saw Marvel start a major experiment by incorporating television showsas part of the project. While WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier have already premiered, Loki, What If…?, Hawkeye, and Ms. Marvel are set to air later this year.

Television shows are usually handled by a showrunner who oversees the production of a series and is the guiding hand through production. This is because multiple episodes have a number of different directors on board. Yet, Marvel Studios opted for the term Head Writer instead of Showrunner to define talent like Malcolm Spellman on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, or WandaVision‘s Jac Schaeffer.

Marvel Studios’ loyalty to making the Disney+ series feel as big as the films has been portrayed heavily in WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, with a report expressing that the budgets could be as high as $150 million per series.

Since the formula has worked for their films, it makes sense that they would employ the same for their television shows. Similar to the films, the writers and directors have a certain amount of influence in shaping the project, but it is Kevin Feige who is the guiding hand that leads all the projects to make sure they fit within the larger picture.

Variety recently published a report wherein The Falcon and The Winter Soldier director Kari Skogland detailed the process of working on a Marvel Studios television show.

“It’s a nuance, but it’s one that I think is being embraced more and more because the job honestly in these big, epic miniseries or shows is too big…I was in the writers’ room so that I could really absorb what was being said and be part of the process by floating ideas. As we were going through production, we would workshop scenes and then ask for rewrites on things.

So [Malcolm Spellman] was still very much a part of the whole process, but it’s a slightly different mechanical way it comes down. Honestly, it’s very effective and efficient, because it’s just too much work for any one person.”

Kari Skogland

It will be fascinating to see what is in store with later shows that have multiple directors. WandaVision had Matt Shakman and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier had Kari Skogland as the sole directors. However, other series like Ms. Marvel will have multiple directors, so one can comprehend that head writer, Bisha K. Ali, has more power over that series. With Loki less than a month away, fans seem to be admiring how Marvel Studios is working the magic on the small screen as well.

About Marvel Cinematic Universe

Marvel Cinematic Universe or MCU is a shared universe focusing on a series of superhero films, produced by Marvel Studios. The universe is developed around characters that emerge in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

The franchise comprises of comic books, movies, television series, and even digital series. Similar to the original Marvel Universe in comic books the shared universe, is developed by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters.

Source: Variety