Kevin Feige Says Marvel Actors Are No Longer Locked Into Long Multi-Movie Contracts
Marvel head Kevin Feige has revealed that MCU actors will no longer be held in multi-movie contracts moving forward. As the MCU was in its formative years, Feige turned heads with his massive contract offerings to actors — Samuel L. Jackson was signed on for nine Nick Fury appearances at once. But according to The Hollywood Reporter, those days of a long-standing franchise deal may not be the norm anymore.
When Chris Evans hopped onboard the MCU, it was for six outings as Captain America. Over time, he renegotiated that deal, but Evans has still spent a good portion of his career as Steve Rogers. Sebastian Stan, who plays Bucky Barnes, initially agreed to seven appearances. Tom Holland is nearing the end of his contract with three standalone Spider-Man movies under his belt, not to mention several additional supporting roles in crossover projects like Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.
Speaking with THR, Feige shared that the evolving state of the movie industry has shaped how actors now participate in the MCU. “That got a lot of attention way back when, with I think Scarlett, and [Chris] Hemsworth and Evans and Sam Jackson. It varies now. It varies, project to project, cast to cast,” said Feige. “Really, what we want are people that come in, are excited to be in the universe, are excited at the opportunity to do more things, as opposed to being locked into contractual obligations.”
Going off of Feige’s statement, it sounds like high-profile actors are much more willing to dip their toes into the MCU if there’s no mandatory commitment to six or seven movies. And with so many spinoffs, limited series, and sequels rounding out Phase Four’s lineup, it seems more feasible to have a rotating set of characters who can enter and exit the franchise on a project-by-project basis.