Logan Writer/Director James Mangold Sends Message to Toxic Fandoms on Twitter
The greatest thing about the movie industry is the passion that its diverse stories instill in fans. From Star Wars and the MCU to Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, the rich universes created by writers and filmmakers can keep the fire of fandom blazing for decades. Sometimes, however, that passion is misdirected into anger and backlash towards creatives who have different visions for a series than some fans do.
James Mangold, writer and director of 2017’s superhero hit Logan, recently took to Twitter to give some insight into toxic fandoms. As a person who has exposed himself to potential criticism by agreeing to make a Marvel film, Mangold understands the pressure of the job and offers a take on fandoms from within the industry.
At the point when work writing & directing big franchises has become the emotionally loaded equivalent of writing a new chapter of The Bible (w/ the probable danger of being stoned & called a blasphemer), then a lot of bolder minds r gonna leave these films 2 hacks & corp boards.
— Mangold (@mang0ld) July 5, 2018
Mangold was fortunate in that Logan received widespread acclaim and is considered one of the best modern superhero films. But other people in his position haven’t been so lucky to escape the anger of some fans who feel the stories they love were steered in the wrong direction. Just think of Rian Johnson and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Many fans love his entry in the saga, but those that didn’t were less than quiet about it. Fortunately, Johnson has been a good sport about the ordeal. In another Tweet, Mangold points out that sometimes people should rein in their frustration so that creatives shouldn’t have to suffer emotional repercussions from their projects, even if they’re as jovial as Johnson.
The fervor of some attacks has an evangelical ferocity. Now, I get it cause for many folk, including me, the SW saga holds tremendous spiritual power, similar to a religious text. But we must remember to try to handle our disappointments the way Yoda might, as opposed to Darth.
— Mangold (@mang0ld) July 5, 2018
A bit of Yoda-like wisdom, the director argues, could go a long way in ensuring that top-notch filmmakers will keep jumping on franchise projects. Mangold also provides insight, along with some brutal honesty, into the process of making these colossal movies that shows why one person—usually a writer or director—shouldn’t be singularly blamed for any perceived mistake.
Scripts r passed among many folk 4 comment, film makers who profoundly love the universe as well as folk who worked on originals. If u think Disney hands 1 person 250M, you’re naive. U want to be 1 of them? Earn it. Rude tweets & self anointed superfan expertise don’t cut it.
— Mangold (@mang0ld) July 8, 2018
Movies are, after all, team efforts, as should be fandom and fandom-industry relationships. Which points to the fact that fandom is a very good thing as long as it is respectful to everyone involved.
Featured image: L-R: Dafne Keen (Laura), Hugh Jackman (Logan), and Director James Mangold on the set of LOGAN. Photo Credit: Ben Rothstein.
