Ms. Marvel Directors Bilall Fallah And Adil El Arbi Choose Their Dream Marvel Role For Will Smith - Exclusive
One of the best MCU team-ups doesn't involve our favorite heroes at all. Directors Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi are no strangers to working together on their projects, and "Ms. Marvel" is the latest in a long line of films and TV shows that the directors have tackled as a pair. Unlike most of the MCU TV series, "Ms. Marvel" has a revolving slate of directors rather than featuring one director for the entire series.
Fallah and El Arbi directed the first and last episodes of the series' debut season, with other directors filling in the rest. Fallah and El Arbi also directed Will Smith in the 2020 film "Bad Boys for Life." While Smith has yet to make his MCU debut, the directors have one idea for a role the actor can take on.
During an exclusive interview with Looper, Fallah and El Arbi revealed what it was like working with Will Smith on "Bad Boys For Life" and which MCU character they would love for Will Smith to play. El Arbi also explained what draws the directors to work together for so many of their projects.
A dynamic directing duo
Recalling some highlights of working with Will Smith and their dream MCU casting for him, Adil El Arbi said, "Well, I was working with Will and Martin [Lawrence]. It was a blast, this multiverse of madness now. But Will already [played] Deadshot in DC, so what would be the equivalent of that? Mahershala [Ali] is already playing Blade. But if it was not Mahershala, Will Smith could be a pretty good Blade."
Bilall Fallah concurred, adding, "Yes, definitely." And hey, with this multiverse of madness in the MCU, as El Arbi put it, maybe Smith can pick up the role at some point.
Fallah and El Arbi have done countless directing projects together, solidifying themselves as an unstoppable duo. So why do they love teaming up for projects, and how did directing "Ms. Marvel" episodes as a pair affect their experience? El Arbi jumped in to answer: "We started as film students. We were the only two Moroccans in film school. Everybody was white. That's why it clicked. It's like a football team. We're team players, and it's great. If [both of us doubt something], then we know it's not right. If you're searching [for] something, both of us, then we know, 'Okay, let's go 100%.' We're very collaborative."
He added, "Us two, it [also] translates with the DP, Robrecht Heyvaert ... and all the departments: VFX and producers and production design and music. It makes sure that it's not one vision [from] just us. It's the vision of the whole football team that makes sure that we win the World Cup." Clearly, Fallah and El Arbi were a match made in Asgard.
New episodes of "Ms. Marvel" stream Wednesdays on Disney+.