Guardians of the Galaxy: The Studio Has Faith, Film Has '50s, Pulpy Sensibilities

In a new interview with SFX Magazine, out today, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige addressed the question that never goes away: Is he concerned about the marketability of Guardians of the Galaxy, a sci-fi movie about superheroes that most people aren't familiar with? "Not really, because we really believe in them," Feige told the magazine. "And not only in the way they've been portrayed in the comic books over the years, but also in the new ideas that we have to bring them to the screen. There's definitely a comparison to be made between Iron Man and Guardians of the Galaxy because it's easy to forget that Iron Man was not well known when that first film came out. Back then, I had to spend a lot time explaining to people that Iron Man is not a robot and he's actually a person and a scientist, who builds this suit. He doesn't fly like Superman, he has to obey the laws of physics. Likewise with Guardians of the Galaxy; it's based on a comic that has a certain following but nobody should feel bad if they've never heard of it because we're expecting that most people haven't." The magazine also spoke with Jonathan Schwartz, who serves as an Associate Producer on the film. "When James Gunn came aboard he brought a completely unique visual sensibility to it, harkening back to pulpy '50s science fiction," Schwartz told SFX. "One of the things that he mentioned in his original pitch was that science fiction as we understand it has become greyer and sleeker and blacker and darker, this kind of Blade Runner world. We all love Blade Runner but that's not all that science fiction can be, so the world that you're going to see in Guardians of the Galaxy is colorful and bright and pulpy, but it's also lived-in and grounded. And finding the balance between those two things is what's driving a lot of this universe."