‘Moon Knight’ Gets a Big Twist in Episode 4, Talking Director – The Hollywood Reporter

Moonlight Knight directors Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, collectively known as Moorhead & Benson, can’t help but wonder if Anthony Mackie played a role in their Marvel Studios recruitment. The acclaimed director duo has thrived in the indie space over the past decade and their 2019 sci-fi thriller, Synchronized, starring Mackie and Jamie Dornan, seems to be responsible for their first foray into the major studio system. While Moorhead and Benson have yet to confirm whether Mackie has spoken well of them, they have certainly wondered if the new Captain America has pulled a string.

“We don’t really know if Anthony Mackie is playing a matchmaker role here, but we like to think so. We are still really good friends with him,” said Benson The Hollywood Reporter. “Obviously we made a movie called Synchronized with Anthony Mackie. And it’s funny because I remember that movie was being released, and people were saying, ‘You have an Avenger in your movie?!’ And we said, ‘Yes! We have an Avenger in our movie! ‘ And now, to be working in the MCU, we’re asking ourselves, ‘Is this all Anthony Mackie is doing?’ “

Moorhead and Benson directed the second and fourth episodes of the Disney+ series led by Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke, and the pair made the bold choices they could make in their latter episode. . From this writer’s point of view, their fourth chapter resembles Damon Lindelof’s TV work (Leftovers, Pass away, The guard) than anything in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date.

“As you say, there was a big mind swing in episode four that made you rethink some of the stuff you watched,” Moorhead shared. “Being able to do stuff like that – appear all over the comic book and also serve great for the tone and feel of the comics, the excitement of opening something and seeing something you’ve never seen – is one of the reasons that we want to do this. “

Benson added: “When you look at 50 years of incredible content that has been created for Moon Knight and Marvel, the best of it has been defined by making big changes, by being bold. So in that way we are empowered to continue that, to be bold, especially with [episode four]. Visually, what we’re really hooked on, especially for that episode, is [Jeff] Lemire and [Greg] Run small wood [of Moon Knight]. ”

In a recent conversation with CHEAP, Moorhead and Benson also discuss scouting locations in the Jordan desert and why they are discouraged from firing at a particular location. They then settled on their future at Marvel Studios as they were set to lead the majority Loki Season two.

So is Anthony Mackie acting as matchmaker between the two of you and Marvel, or am I just looking for a connection?

Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson: (Laugh.)

Benson: We don’t really know if Anthony Mackie is playing a role in matchmaking here, but we like to think so. We are still good friends with him. Apparently, we made a movie called Synchronized with Anthony Mackie. And it’s funny because I remember that movie was coming out and people were saying, “You have an Avenger in your movie?!” And we said, “Yes! We have an Avenger in our movie! ” And now, to work in the MCU, we ask ourselves, “Is this all Anthony Mackie is doing?”

Moorhead & Benson: (Laugh.)

Moorhead: By the way, while we were doing [Synchronic]he keeps his lips tight [that he was the new Captain America]. And right before we release Synchronized [in the fall of 2020], we find out he’s not just Falcon; he’s the new Captain America. And that’s a big problem. We were like, “You never said a thing!” (Laugh.) Unbelievable. [Writer’s Note: Mackie’s Sam Wilson debuted as Captain America on April 23, 2021’s finale of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.]

Your movie has a very different look and feel, so how does the process of adapting to the aesthetic Mohamed Diab established in the premiere?

Moorhead: You know what’s fun, when we checked in we were happy to hear that our aesthetic almost perfectly matched Mohamed’s. So it was a very pleasant surprise. It’s things like letting the footage stretch a bit, the wider lens, the more dusty look. That is exactly what he is after. So we sat down in a room with a whiteboard and a big TV, and we watched a bunch of movies and talked. It’s just a bunch of people agreeing with each other, so it’s actually pretty easy to match our aesthetic.

If episode four is any indication, it looks like you can still do the Moorhead and Benson things of working with a major studio. Was the transition from the indie world pretty seamless for the most part?

Benson: Well, that has never been an issue for us. One thing we always say is that once you go through all the big trucks with bigger budgets, everything else stays the same. It’s the same kind of problem-solving; it’s the same job. And hopefully your instincts match this stuff, but in our case we got really lucky. It was a match made in heaven.

Moorhead: We used Technocrane for the first time. There was that. (Laugh.) But we filmed it just like we filmed normally.

Your recruiting made even more sense to me when I watched the aforementioned episode four. Can you talk about the big swing that was that episode without really revealing anything?

Benson: When you look at 50 years of incredible content that has been created for Moon Knight and Marvel, the best of it is defined by making big changes, by being bold. So in that way we’re empowered to go on with that, have to be bold, especially with that episode. Visually, what we’re really hooked on, especially for that episode, is Lemire and Smallwood’s run [of Moon Knight]. And it’s funny because looking back, I can’t tell you if there was anything specific from that run that made it into the episode, but at least on an unconscious level, it’s a couple of things. when it comes to inspiring us, visually.

Moorhead: wise story, Moonlight Knight It’s best when it’s mind-shaping, and that’s one of the big reasons Justin and I jumped on the bandwagon. As you say, there’s an amazing, big twist in episode four that makes you rethink some of the content you’ve already watched. Being able to do stuff like that – appearing all over the comics and also serving great with the tone and feel of the comics, the excitement of opening something and seeing something you’ve never seen – is a of the reasons that we want to do this.

Moonlight Knight is Oscar Isaac’s third high-profile project to be filmed in Wadi Rum [Aqaba, Jordan]. Do you have to refer Sand dunes and Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker to avoid any overlap? Or has that gone too far?

Moorhead: (Laugh.) When we were scouting, there was a spot where they said, “Wait, no, that’s the word. Star Wars. Don’t do that. ” It’s correct? Am I crazy?

Benson: Yeah… I mean, when you’re searching for places there, a lot of them are tied to your favorite movies you’ve seen. That way, there are very few limits to us, but I will say that as a fan of Oscar Isaac who has gone to see all of his films in the cinema, do I get out some place it? Sure! Is it distracting? Yes!

Moorhead & Benson: (Laugh.)

Moorhead: I’ve seen Mars the day before, and when I saw that particular rock they shot [in Wadi Rum]it’s like Leonardo DiCaprio’s meme [from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood]. I was like, “Here it is!” (Moorhead mimics the DiCaprio meme.)

Decades from now, what day Moonlight Knight Will you tell your family about first?

Moorhead: It was interesting because it wasn’t a day on set; it’s actually spying in Jordan. They put us in the back of a car, which was already very special. Someone was driving us somewhere, and we just dropped bombs on this highway in the Jordan desert. And our driver pointed to this water out the window and said, “It’s the Dead Sea.” And I had this strange thought, which was, “I’m just a boy from Florida. I thought the Dead Sea was like Shangri-La, this mythical place.” Of course, I knew that the Dead Sea really existed, but I never thought that my two eyes would see it. So I was in tears because I realized the unbelievable scale of the adventure that Justin and I had just begun. I think it’s the third day of starting work on this project.

Benson: In fact, it would literally take place every day on this set. It’s very special, and obviously, it’s a huge opportunity for us. But there was one evening where we were shooting in the old world, and you looked around and you saw all these buildings and statues from mythology, whether it was a gargoyle or otherwise. And here we are, telling a story about the great myths and legends of our time. When people look back on this century from now, or a millennium from now, it will be like gazing at one of the statues representing the great myths of our time. ta. So having us there – saying something thought-provoking and respectful about mental health, as it relates to mythology and these things – was incredibly special.

Kevin Feige and the Marvel Studios congress obviously liked you. Can you say anything about what you’re directing next for Marvel? [Writer’s Note: They are directing most of Loki season two.]

Moorhead: Not really. (Laugh.) But we couldn’t be more wonderful about how great the experience of working with Marvel was. No one with a gun told us to say that. It has been great. They are the best collaborators. It would be weird to say it’s like having a great boss because we don’t feel like we have one. It’s just a group of friends getting together to do something as fun as possible. So we are extremely happy to continue that. Of course, we will continue to do independent films. We’ll go back and forth, but it’s great to play on this playground. Coming to work is very, very good, and the people are nice people. They’re all really smart and they’re just trying their best to do one thing: tell a great story.

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Moonlight KnightThe first episode of the series is currently streaming on Disney+.