Thanks to “The Marvels” being the first MCU film not to break $100 million domestically at the box office, yes, superhero fatigue is a real thing. And according to actress Jodie Foster, it’s a good thing, too. IndieWire reports (via Elle) that the Oscar-winning actress has had it with the movie genre. In Foster’s mind, the whole thing is “a phase,” and she can’t wait for it to end finally.
“It’s a phase. It’s a phase that’s lasted a little too long for me, but it’s a phase, and I’ve seen so many different phases [throughout my career],” Foster said in the new Elle cover story. “Hopefully people will be sick of it soon.” But the actress doesn’t dismiss the genre entirely, as they are some she’s liked over the years. The good ones — like “Iron Man,” “Black Panther,” “The Matrix” — I marvel at those movies, and I’m swept up in the entertainment of it, but that’s now why I became an actor,” Foster continued. “And those movies don’t change my life. Hopefully there’ll be room for everything else.”
In the aftermath of the WGA and SAG guild strikes, and arguably its worst year critically, Marvel Studios finds itself in an unfamiliar position: on shaky ground. After several schedule shifts, “Deadpool 3” remains the only theatrical release for the studio next year. Several other projects are also in creative overhaul, including the “Daredevil: Born Again” reboot for Disney+ and “Blade,” a film notorious for pre-production woes. Does all of this foretell doom for future MCU projects? Not really, and not yet. But after a return to form in 2022, the many Marvel misfires this year (not to mention the high-profile trial of an actor who was a big part of the studio’s future plans) have moviegoers on notice. Has the superhero movie phase ended before Phase 5 ends and Phase 6 even begins in the MCU?
That’s not important for Foster, who sees franchises like the MCU as something young actors should avoid if they can. “You have to have faith in your talent,” Foster advised younger fellow actors. “You can go away for two years and have a life and come back and there will be work for you. Yeah, maybe it won’t be in some franchise, but what do you care? This is your life.” Foster cited her own career in this case, adding that she is “Okay with sacrificing a certain amount of success or access in order for me to have the life that I want.”
Foster stars next in “True Detective: Night Country,” which premieres on HBO on January 14, 2024. She also starred in “Nyad” this year with Annette Benning, although that film was quietly deposited onto Netflix earlier this month after its world premiere at Telluride in September. So, it’s safe to say “Nyad” didn’t change anyone’s life. Quips aside, Foster is right about cinematic phases, although it remains to be seen if “The Marvels” indeed foretells Marvel’s cultural downfall. But it’s a hot topic that will endure as Marvel navigates its transition to Phase 6 over the next couple of years.
