What does a post-MCU sci-fi landscape look like?
Yes, yes… I realize that the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) is still ongoing.
I suppose a more accurate way of saying it would be; "what does a post-Avengers cinematic landscape look like?" Marvel/Disney is obviously still going to be producing movies within the MCU, but after Avengers: Endgame I feel like interest will begin to wane now that the story arc that began with Iron Man waaay back in 2008 has concluded.
While many would (rightly) argue that Marvel's cinematic juggernaut wasn't really science fiction, it's impossible to ignore that the series of superhero movies completely dominated a space where science fiction would normally reside. The MCU sucked so much oxygen out of the room that, other than Star Wars, there wasn't a lot of room left to talk about anything else. The new Star Wars may have sold a lot of tickets, but it seems to have as many people who loathed it than people who adored and obsessed over it. So, for the sake of this argument, let's assume that the MCU is firmly within the science fiction spectrum… what do audiences have to look forward to next?
Looking past the big boys of LucasFilm and Marvel, the sci-fi movie scene is pretty bleak.
The Star Trek reboot seems to have lost steam and nobody wants to take the chance on new, untested properties. Sci-fi is expensive to make. It's hard to get studios to commit to something that isn't guaranteed to make a profit in a time when ALL movies are struggling to get funding. But the sci-fi market globally is enormous and hungry. How do you service that need if you're not willing to take risks on new projects?
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Could the indie filmmakers fill that void?
We've all seen low-budget sci-fi movies on deep-cable. The more popular ones have their own drinking games attached to them. In other words: they're entertaining because we point and laugh at them, not because they're good films. I realize that some of that is deliberate on the part of the filmmaker… at least I hope it is. If the guy who made Sharknado was trying to make a serious movie then that's a whole other problem. So is there any good news? Yes. Things are changing within the industry for the better. Technology is becoming cheaper and more prevalent and filmmakers are no longer beholden to the big studio dinosaurs to get their movies made.
Check out the work of director/producer Hasraf "Haz" Dulull (HazFilm.com). Haz is able to make compelling films and he's doing it without the backing of huge studio bucks. His shorts have a real "big movie" sensibility about them and you honestly feel like his work is something you'd see in the theater after paying $14 for a ticket and $2,500 for concessions. He's able to create a lot of what we expect to see from big-budget sci-fi using the leading edge of visual tech… and, of course, no small amount of talent and skill.
Can filmmakers like Haz change the sci-fi cinema landscape and steal back some of the momentum from the monolithic companies like Disney and Paramount?
With some help from distributors willing to play the movie in theaters, I'd like to think so. The mega-studio movies will continue to have top billing… but I, for one, would like to see indies begin to do for movies what they did for books: provide more options and a quality alternative to what the gatekeepers say we must watch.
After his first enlistment as an avionics technician on B-1B bombers, he left the military and worked in the aerospace industry in various capacities while earning a master’s degree in aeronautical science.
During this time, he continued to write as a hobby, occasionally submitting a short story or novel for publication.
In 2012 he discovered indie publishing so he dusted off the dream of being a writer one more time and in 2013 released his first published novel.
He is a USA Today bestselling author, an Amazon Top Ten Bestselling Science Fiction author, and creator of the hugely popular Omega Force series.
Considering MCU as Sci Fi is like gamblers considering pro wrestling as sporting events.
The Super Hero genre has really been excessively exploited. How many SH’s can we handle? Sci-Fi could do with more stories, themes, etc. about non-enhanced characters that need to exist in this super-hero universe, or, have adapted to whatever future lies in store for us. Think Hunger Games, the tech was there, but no superpowers.