There’s been a lot of discussions surrounding Marvel Studios’ recent expansion. Fans of the franchise have been enjoying a smorgasbord of offerings with fan-favorite characters getting a chance at a live-action adaptation, which wouldn’t happen in any normal circumstance. Yet, some also feel like the franchise is watering down its offerings with the Disney+ series and releasing up to four or five films a year.
Well, Watchmen showrunner Damon Lindelof shares the latter sentiment, as he highlights his own personal taste when it comes to media. In an interview with Variety, he highlights his own personal feelings towards franchises; something that has gotten quite popular from many more veteran members of the cinematic landscape.
It’s always going to be hard because once you’ve got someone’s attention, you want to keep it. And so the idea of letting it go and not knowing if you’re ever going to get it back again is sort of like it’s antithetical to the way that we’re wired.
Damon Lindelof
He also gives that he believes that less is more in this case, as he’d love to see more memorable projects. Yet, he also makes the point that he simply likes things to end, one aspect of how he approached Watchmen that some believed could get a sequel season but remained a limited series after all.
From a slightly sort of more cynical standpoint, this is a business. It’s an industry. And if you make a couple of great Marvel movies, the instinct is, ‘We need to make more Marvel movies, and we need to expand this.’ And I have this sort of interior feeling of like, ‘Wow, I wish they made less because it would make each one that came out a little bit more special. But I watch all of them…People don’t want things to end. I do.
Damon Lindelof
Lindelof also makes sure to point out that he doesn’t blame Marvel for doing what they are doing. It simply makes sense and he’s not innocent in working on franchising as well given his experiences with Star Trek and Prometheus.
I don’t begrudge them the right to keep it going. I’ve made prequels and sequels and reboots, so I can’t be a hypocrite and say, ‘God, come up with an original idea.’ Meanwhile, I’m making two ‘Star Trek’ movies and ‘Prometheus.
Lindelof
Damon Lindelof‘s points are definitely fair as something being short-lived tends to get a different view than when they continue going on. Phase 4 has been hit with criticism even by long-time fans due to hitting that sophomore slump that any long-running show or franchise tends to hit. There is a fun addition to this story, however, as Lindelof actually highlighted that he actively watches all these projects on his personal Instagram account, which adds an interesting bit of levity to the discussion
So, it seems that Lindelof is also a fan of the franchise and it’s a shame that this may have been committed from the interview. He also goes on to highlight praise for Ms. Marvel as “one of the best things I saw on any network, streamer or movie screen in the past year. Originality masked in I.P… and a cultural authenticity that dares the entire industry to rise to it“
