Diarra,

Did I say no true consequences? I think that was Trevan. I’ll have to listen again. What I mean is that with any property that is so closely guarded by the execs as say a Marvel comic franchise, it makes it all, but impossible for a director, even a very good director, to do anything truly surprising. The Marvel execs are always keeping them from doing things with characters that go against the source material or inhibit sequels. If you’re thinking about money first then the craft of the film suffers.

Films like Ghost World, Old Boy, American Splendor, A History of Violence don’t have the same restrictive overlords hovering over the directors. There is no real comparison. The problem is not that the films were inspired by or adapted from source material. The problem arises when thoughts of endless sequels inhibit the visions of directors and writers.