Damon Lindelof Says ‘Black Panther’ Is Cinema: How Many Marvel Films Has Scorsese Seen?
Zack Sharf
Martin Scorsese‘s Marvel movie smear continues to reverberate throughout the industry. “The Irishman” director’s latest challenger is prolific television showrunner Damon Lindelof, who is the creator of HBO’s upcoming superhero drama “Watchmen.” Speaking to Variety at the “Watchmen” world premiere, Lindelof said it’s not exactly fair to call all Marvel movies “theme parks,” as Scorsese did in a recent interview with Empire magazine. “I don’t see [Marvel movies],” Scorsese said, “I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema… It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”
Lindelof responded to Scorsese by telling Variety, “There’s a space in Marvel movies that they are beginning to explore and are beginning to be provocative and interesting. ‘Logan’ or ‘Black Panther’ are very close in my opinion to cinema and to put all Marvel movies in the same box doesn’t seem fair.”
“I’m just curious as to how many Marvel movies he has seen,” Lindelof added, suggesting that Scorsese might be ill-informed on the subject. “I don’t view it as a put down. I think there has to be space for popular entertainment and indie fare and cinema.”
Lindelof’s comment follow similar sentiments shared by comic book movie lover Kevin Smith. In an interview with Yahoo Entertainment published last week, Smith was quoted as saying Scorsese lacks “the emotional attachment” to Marvel movies to properly judge them.
“When he sees those movies, he’s like, ‘That’s a theme park.’ When I see those movies, that is the closest I get to being with my dad at a movie theater again,” Smith said. “I respect his opinion, but I don’t think he has the same emotional attachment that a lot of us have. It’s the men and the women that we relate to in the movie, not the ‘super’ part.”
Lindelof told Variety that his new “Watchmen” series is a reflection of the kind of cinema Scorsese was referring to in his Empire interview. The show is a sequel to Alan Moore’s iconic graphic novel series and stars Regina King, Jean Smart, and Jeremy Irons. HBO is debuting “Watchmen” this Sunday, October 20.
