Marvel is reducing the amount of content it produces every year. The change has been pretty obvious to those of us following production announcements and shooting schedules, but CEO Bob Iger officially confirmed it last week when he announced during an earnings call with investors that Mouse House will cut into two series year and two or three films. Fans had plenty of shots, but none were funnier than the one suggested by Colin Jost in Saturday night live this week.
The longtime Weekend Update host is, of course, married to Marvel star Scarlett Johansson. She occasionally makes jokes about her career or their relationship, sometimes in a very direct way and sometimes with a if you know, kind of know. The latter was what we got last night, when he explained why some people might be upset that there wasn’t a Marvel movie to kick off the summer movie season for the first time since 2009…
This year marks the first time since 2009 that a Marvel movie hasn’t kicked off the summer movie season, which better be a one-off because a lot of people rely on Marvel movies to pay for their ferry purchases.
For those of you who may be out of the loop and wondering what that could be referring to, Colin Jost owns a ferry. He teamed up with Pete Davidson and another investor named Paul Italia to buy a decommissioned Staten Island ship named the John F Kennedy. They promptly renamed it Titanic 2 and announced that they were in the early stages of a long-term plan to turn it into a live event venue featuring comedy, music and art.
That was over two years ago. It’s not ready yet, although recently, we learned that the group’s ambitions have become even bigger. Now it has reportedly been turned into a $34 million project using an architect to redesign the space which will reportedly eventually include hotel rooms, several restaurants and six bars. In short, it’s not the kind of thing you’d do on a lowly salary as a Weekend Update anchor.
As for Marvel, many fans have mixed feelings about the decision to step down. It’s no secret that Marvel has lost some of its luster over the last half decade or so. Fan response to the content hasn’t been all that positive, and the box office numbers show that many casual fans have stopped trying to see everything. Some point the finger at the drop in quality, while others point to the sheer volume the studio was churning out.
This reduced schedule will allow the studio to invest more in each individual project and hopefully help turn the final productions into appointment viewing again. At least that’s Disney’s plan. Hopefully they can execute it a little faster and with a little more direction than Jost’s Staten Island Ferry project.
SNL will return next week with incoming host Jake Gyllenhaal and musical guest Sabrina Carpenter. You can catch it Saturday night on NBC or through other streaming options.
