“And what’s the story, what’s the point of this movie?” : Tom Hanks is interested in superheroes

In the latest episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Tom Hanks made it clear: he has never met with Kevin Feige about possibly joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he has never met with James Gunn, nor is he talking about the new DC Universe. That said, the actor has never had a problem with movies adapted from comic books, but he still wanted to point out that audiences seem to be moving away from superhero movies with perfect visual effects while also expecting them to have an actual narrative.

“Remember back in the 1970s and 1980s when they tried to make a TV version of Captain America and Spider-Man? Even Batman, that isAdam West. The technology didn’t exist to make it look like we see it in the comics, and now it does.s,” he explained Tom Hanks (via Variety ). “You can do anything. You can say that Superman Christopher Reeve was the first to approach it thanks to advanced technology that made it possible to remove the wire. When we saw it, we all believed it. It was quite extraordinary.“

He continued: “We now enjoy the luxury of wealth, and since we can do everything that is happening on the screen now, we are back to the concept of “OK, that’s true, but what’s the story?”. You can dream of Lake Michigan and fill it with cuckoo clocks that form a three-headed dragon that breathes fire and destroys Chicago. You can do it. But for what purpose? What is the story and what does it say about us? There was a time, and I felt the same way, when we watched DC and MCU movies to see better versions of ourselves. God, I feel like an X-Man sometimes. I’m confused like a spider. I’m as angry as Batman. I love my country as much as Captain America. We’ve already been down that road. We’ve had 20 years to learn these things, and now we’re in an evolution and a place where we have to ask ourselves, “And what is history? what is the topic What’s the point of this movie?’“

Admittedly, the superhero/comic book genre has struggled at the box office in recent years, with titles like Shazam! Wrath of the Gods, The Flash, Ant and the Wasp: Quantum of Solace, Marvel’s all flopped at the box office in 2023. This year, films like Madame Web and Joker: Folie à Deux suffered the same spell. Venom: The Last Dance just came out with the lowest numbers in the trilogy. Still, Deadpool & Wolverine is the second-highest-grossing film of 2024 and the biggest R-rated film in history with $1.3 billion. So all is not lost, but accordingly Tom HanksMoviegoers are no longer just interested in fancy special effects, but now want a little more in terms of story being told at the same time.

“The industry often says that if it works, it will work again. But society is one step ahead“, said the Oscar winner. “They see something familiar and say, “I’ve seen that before.” what’s next And it’s not just mind-blowing stuff. It’s more like, “What’s the story? Tell me about myself.” It feels like we’re exploring new territory every year.“

Watch Tom Hanks’ full statement in the video below: