The Marvels Director Nia DaCosta Reveals Why the Movie Is One of the Shortest MCU Films Yet

When The Marvels opens in theaters this week, it will become the MCU’s shortest film yet with a runtime of just 105 minutes, but for director Nia DaCosta, this was always part of the plan. DaCosta told Digital Spy that she always wanted the film to be under two hours and that she wanted to what was “right for the movie.”

“I really wanted it to be under two hours,” she said. “I always think about the runtime actually, when I go into a film. I just feel like there’s no need to have it long if you don’t need to, because 1 hour 45 minutes is pretty average for a movie, so we were all really excited, I just think you do what’s right for the movie. I didn’t even know about this runtime thing until I think it was reported on. You have to do what’s right for the movie.”

The Marvels Will Be Different From Other MCU Movies

Of course, it won’t just be the runtime that sets The Marvels apart from the rest of the MCU. DaCosta previously spoke about the tone of the film and how it differentiates the movie from the rest of the films before it.

“The biggest difference from the other MCU movies to date is that it’s really wacky, and silly,” DaCosta explained in a recent interview. “The worlds we go to in this movie are worlds unlike others you’ve seen in the MCU. Bright worlds that you haven’t seen before.”

What Is The Marvels About?

In The Marvels, which arrives in theaters on November 10th, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan, Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). Together, this unlikely trio must team-up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as “The Marvels.” The Marvels will also see the franchise returns of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Saagar Shaikh as Aamir Khan, Zenobia Shroff as Muneeba Khan, and Mohan Kapur as Yusuf Khan. New cast members include Zawe Ashton, Park Seo-joon, and Shamier Anderson.

Produced by Marvel Studios, The Marvels is directed by Nia DaCosta with a script from DaCosta, Megan McDonnell, and Elissa Karasik.

The Marvels will be released exclusively in theaters on November 10th.