After Coppola Slam, James Gunn Defends Marvel Movies as Cinema (Again)
Once again, a Hollywood icon has panned Marvel movies and, once again, James Gunn has spoken out in defense of them.
The âGuardians of the Galaxyâ filmmaker responded in an Instagram post Sunday to Francis Ford Coppolaâs comments at the Lumiere Festival in France this weekend. Coppola was asked whether he agreed with Martin Scorseseâs comments that Marvel movies were not cinema, and the âThe Godfatherâ director said in part, âMartin was kind when he said itâs not cinema. He didnât say itâs despicable, which I just say it is.â
Gunn did not mention Scorsese or Coppola in his post by name, but did reference the latterâs use of the word âdespicableâ when noting that superhero films arenât the first populist genre to receive derision from more artistic filmmakers.
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A post shared by James Gunn (@jamesgunn) on Oct 20, 2019 at 11:51am PDT
âMany of our grandfathers thought all gangster movies were the same, often calling them âdespicable,'â Gunn wrote. âSome of our great grandfathers thought the same of westerns, and believed the films of John Ford, Sam Peckinpah, and Sergio Leone were all exactly the same.â
Also Read: James Gunn 'Saddened' by Martin Scorsese Comparing Marvel Movies to Theme Parks
The âGuardians of the Galaxyâ filmmaker noted that his great uncle dismissed his excited reaction to âStar Warsâ by comparing the iconic blockbuster film to Stanley Kubrickâs far more meditative â2001: A Space Odyssey,â which he called âboring.â
âSuperheroes are simply todayâs gangsters/cowboys/outer space adventurers. Some superhero films are awful, some are beautiful. Like westerns and gangster movies (and before that, just MOVIES), not everyone will be able to appreciate them, even some geniuses. And thatâs okay.â
Gunn is currently filming the DC film âThe Suicide Squad,â which will be released by Warner Bros. in 2021. After that, he is set to return to Marvel Studios to direct âGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,â which currently has no set release date.
Also Read: Martin Scorsese Calls Out Marvel and Superhero Movies: 'That's Not Cinema'
Coppola, meanwhile, is continuing to work on âMegalopolis,â a utopian drama that he has been developing on-and-off for 20 years, and which he says would require a larger budget than the infamously expensive âApocalypse Now.â
âI wanted to make a film about a human expression of what really is heaven on earth,â Coppola said this weekend.
âI would say itâs the most ambitious film (Iâve worked on) â more than âApocalypse Nowâ. Thatâs the problem.â
Read original story After Coppola Slam, James Gunn Defends Marvel Movies as Cinema (Again) At TheWrap