James Mangold Says “Multi-Movie Universe-Building" is “The Death of Storytelling"

We are all well aware of Marvel and DC’s insistence to rely on multiverses filled with easter eggs and dozens of movies, all connected to each other — it’s become a plague in modern day moviemaking.

Here’s a Rolling Stone interview with “A Complete Unknown” director James Mangold. No surprise he is not a fan of “multi-movie universe-building,” so don’t expect him to hop onboard the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, he additionally scolds these movies as being the “enemy” and the “death of storytelling”

I don’t do multiverses […] It’s weird that I’ve even worked in the world of IP entertainment because I don’t like multi-movie universe-building […] “It’s the enemy of storytelling. The death of storytelling. It’s more interesting to people the way the Legos connect than the way the story works in front of us. For me, the goal becomes, always, ‘What is unique about this film, and these characters?' Not making you think about some other movie or some Easter egg or something else, which is all an intellectual act, not an emotional act. You want the movie to work on an emotional level.

Mangold did direct “The Wolverine” and “Logan” although he affirms he’s always approached that franchise work as standalone entries. I mean, I guess. “Deadpool & Wolverine” does end up finding a way to connect the MCU to Mangold’s movies.

Mangold is currently attached to direct a new “Star Wars” movie, although it will mostly be a standalone effort as it is billed as a Biblical epic set centuries before the franchise’s main storyline, tracking the origin of the force. He’s also coming off his last movie which happened to be the fifth Indiana Jones, “Dial of Destiny.” So, just to be clear, Mangold likes franchises, just not multiverses.