As they so often do in Marvel Land, worlds collide in “Thunderbolts.”
But in this refreshingly earthbound iteration of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the collision isn’t a matter of interplanetary strife. “Thunderbolts” has been touted as the unlikely meeting of two of the dominant forces in 21st century American movies: Marvel and A24.
This isn’t a co-production, but much of the creative team and many of the stars have ties to the indie studio. “Thunderbolts” is directed by Jake Schreier, who has directed many episodes of the A24 series “Beef,” and was written by Joanna Calo (also a “Beef” veteran) and Eric Pearson (a Marvel veteran). The connections go further: cinematographer Andrew Droz Palermo (“A Ghost Story,” “The Green Knight”), editor Harry Yoon (“Minari”) and a score by the band Son Lux (“Everything Everywhere All At Once”).
Some trailers for “Thunderbolts” have highlighted these connections, perhaps in hopes of a little A24 auteur cool rubbing off on Hollywood’s superhero factory. It’s also a sign of how rough things have gotten for Marvel that, after a string of misfires, it’s leaning on the studio behind “Swiss Army Man” for its latest would-be blockbuster.
