We chat with MsMarvel directing duo Adil El Arbi & bilallfallah about what makes Kamala Khan the ultimate Marvel fan, and how they themselves are geeking out over working with Michael Keaton on Batgirl:
When Ms. Marvel premieres June 8 on Disney+, the world will finally meet Kamala Khan and learn just how big a Marvel fan she is. The Pakistani-American teenager, brought to live-action glory by newcomer Iman Vellani, is a comic book enthusiast who daydreams about her cosplay for AvengerCon before learning she is a superhero in her own right.
Bilall Fallah: We saw the casting video, and it [clicked]. It was like she's destined to be Kamala Kahn. Her life story is really parallel with Kamala Khan's. Iman is a Pakistani girl from Canada and also between those two worlds, but she's also a big Marvel fan. She's an expert; she knows everything. Kevin Feige is her idol and Iron Man is her favorite movie, and she herself is so quirky, funny, super intelligent.
Adil El Arbi: Actually, we don't know that. Kevin Feige said to us,"You guys have got to focus on Ms. Marvel, and that's your world and your universe. You can do whatever you want visually," and that's why we came up with the visual style and the animation and all that, which was not present in the script. We could do whatever we wanted on that front.
Adil El Arbi: Well, yeah, the show is also an homage to the fandom. Because the fandom [is what] makes the superheroes, the shows and movies, so great. Kamala Khan is herself a fan, and I hope that the fandom is going to appreciate the homage that we do to them and the respect that we pay to them. Adil El Arbi: It's a big, big honor. It's a big privilege. It's obviously both ends of the spectrum where Ms. Marvel is very bright and colorful, we have that animation style in it, while Batgirl is darker. It’s DC. It's Gotham.Adil El Arbi: And it's just amazing to have Leslie Grace bringing [to life] that character.