Iron Man director weighs in on Marvel vs Martin Scorsese debate
Iron Man director Jon Favreau has weighed in on the ongoing debate about the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, and the criticism levelled at them by filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese.
In the raging debate about whether the Marvel Cinematic Universe films qualify as true cinema, Jon Favreau is the latest name to speak his mind, with the director saying legends like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola have "earned the right" to express their opinion, whatever it might be.
Favreau, the director of Marvel's Iron Man and Iron Man 2, said the two filmmakers were his "heroes", who inspired him to write Swingers. "These two guys are my heroes, and they have earned the right to express their opinions. I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing if they didn't carve the way. They served as a source of inspiration, you can go all the way back to Swingers... They can express whatever opinion they like," he told CNBC.
Also read: Robert Downey Jr. responds to Scorsese saying Marvel movies are not cinema: ‘It is to me’
It was 1996's critical and commercial hit Swingers that propelled the careers of its writer Favreau, director Doug Liman, and star cast Vince Vaughn, Heather Graham, and Ron Livingston.
Scorsese had likened the MCU movies to "theme parks" rather than true cinema, sparking a controversy in Hollywood with noted names Coppola and Ken Loach joining him in criticising the superhero films.
Favreau also discussed the rapidly changing entertainment landscape, which he said is creating "a great deal of uncertainty" but also "a lot of opportunity".
Citing the upcoming The Irishman as example, the filmmaker said, "You see Scorsese with The Irishman, I don't know that that would have been possible, with that budget level, and the technology required to tell that story, in a more traditional model."
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