CS Interview: Avengers: Endgame Executive Producer Trinh Tran

Avengers: Endgame Executive Producer Trinh Tran on the 10-year evolution of Marvel Studios and her hopes for its future

The most anticipated movie ever from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Endgame is the end of the first era of the big idea Nick Fury had, the idea that weaved through the heroic stories we’ve all come to love and cherish. The journey has led to the Endgame and soon we will know how the snap motivates the original team into action. Ready for a rematch with Thanos, who after wiping out half of all life sits on a farm, the remaining heroes plan to hold him accountable by doing whatever it takes to avenge the fallen.

In the words of Captain America, its time to “Get that son of a Bitch”

At the press day for the film, ComingSoon.net sat down with executive producer Trinh Tran to talk about her journey on the film starting from her days as an assistant on Iron-Man and how even in the theater seeing early cuts of the film she knew they were on to something huge. We also discussed the story arcs she’s most excited to highlight and her hopes for inclusion in the creative future in-front of and behind-the-camera at Marvel Studios.

ComingSoon: What are the differences in making Marvel movies now vs. 10 years ago? How has the culture changed and in what ways do you hope it never does?

Trinh Tran: The one thing I hope never changes is the core closeness of the group. We’re very close to each other, Marvel is like a family to me and we all love working with each other so that’s the one thing I hope we can continue from the last ten years to the future.

Since Iron-Man, I remember sitting down to watch it when we were QC’ing the movie and I was blown away by how excited I was for the audience to watch it. We had just started out and Marvel at the time was like twenty people in the office and now we’ve grown so much in the last ten years. It’s mainly the fans, it’s the audience embracing each and every one of our different movies in our different franchises. That was allowing us to connect and interconnect these different characters together in Infinity War as you saw. That couldn’t have happened if the audience hadn’t embraced the movies. We’re very fortunate to be where we are and I’m so happy the public loves the movies we’re making.

CS: Infinity War challenged the Avengers in ways their original story arcs began. You had Thor impulsively revert to his pride when he went for the chest and not Thanos’ head before the snap. All of the surviving members sort of faced how they began, Tony in space feels like he’s back in the cave in the desert. From all the character’s you’ve shepherded which journey are you most excited to highlight?

Trinh Tran: That’s a good question. There’s a reason why the original six Avengers are all there. There isn’t anyone in particular but to see these characters grow from each of their movies, since Iron-Man but also from the first Avengers back from 2012 when it first came out and to see them there on the posters of Avengers: Endgame and see where their characters are from the beginning to where they are now–I think that’s the most exciting thing. It’s not a specific character because for me they all have different character arcs that we’ve explored so much from the beginning and we wanted to make sure we preserve what has started in each of their movies as well as what they became when they formed together to what they are now because we’re going to close a chapter now in Phase 3 and we want to go out with a big bang.

CS: The Russo’s reaction to the first Iron Man was an excitement to make films like it and now here they are helming the culmination of the work that came before. That’s just the dream for so many and it’s been so exciting to see your recent selections of directors like Ryan Coogler and Chloe Zhao. When you look at what is coming next in regards to expanding the universe even further, what are you looking for in the voices you want to recruit to tell the next era of stories? 

Trinh Tran: I think behind the scenes and in the cast in general and stories is more diversity. I’m a huge advocate for fighting for more female representation. I’m so happy that Captain Marvel came out and everybody is embracing the success it is. Black Panther is another cultural phenomenon that was created not just in front of the camera but behind the camera with the directors, with the writers, and with the actors. Look, the more diverse we are the better the story is, the more interesting the story is and most importantly the more relatable the stories can be. We are in a world where it is diverse, so why not bring forth that diversity in stories we tell because that’s how audiences are going to connect to it.

CS: There’s a lot of debate about how these worlds will expand with the acquisition of properties like X-Men and Fantastic Four. Everyone wants to know how they’re going to come into the fold. Endgame is the close of this chapter, has there been any evolution at all with the conversations about how these characters might come into play with future films or is it still so fresh that it’s still just a calendar date set after the Endgame is all done with?

Trinh Tran: I want to know too! I’ve been knee-deep in Infinity War and Endgame, I haven’t even surfaced out to see anybody other than the Russo Bros, the writers, our editors, and Kevin Feige. So I don’t know much about what’s going on in terms of like anything regarding that in the future. I think there’s always the opportunity to do that. It’s always exciting but I think until I resurface April 26th when the movie is released, hopefully, there are conversations going forward that I’ll be involved in but at this moment THIS MOVIE HAS TO COME OUT FIRST!! (laughs)

CS: YES!! In what ways has your movie-going experience changed since becoming a part of these films?

Trinh Tran: I think I get excited every time we release a movie because the fans have grown larger and larger in that sense. I remember Infinity War when it first came out on opening, I’d go to the movie theaters and see reactions from the audience because there were certain scenes that I was just waiting to see how they would react. Much like this one too, I’m so excited to see how they will react. So it’s like the level of involvement I have that I just want to–especially with this movie–there’s so many parts where I’m excited to see how they’re going to react. I guess I’m looking forward to that more than I was ten years ago. I would say.

Avengers: Endgame opens April 26th.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)