The length of time fans and followers had to endure to get a final confirmation of a sequel for the Pixar animated film, The Incredibles, might actually be worth. Brad Bird, the widely acclaimed director of the movie, shared the philosophy behind the delay and disclosed why he does not plan on following suit on today's superhero trend, according to Cinema Blend.
Since the release of the first The Incredibles film in 2004, the movie industry has witnessed the rise of various superhero films including The Avengers, the trilogies for Batman and Spiderman, reboots of Superman movies, and even the rise of other less known heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hence, the successful re-entry of the superhero family 11 years after their last appearance in the big screen is a colossal task to undertake. Despite the enormity of the challenge, Bird does not seem fazed by the prospect of going head to head with today's biggest blockbuster hits.
Bird explained that his goal is not to merely provide the audience with a film they could discuss within a short period but something that could be considered a "timeless" piece.
"I don't think that kind of idea stays interesting for very long," he said, referring to the action packed superhero films getting released one after another nowadays. "You can kind of get a cheap laugh for the moment. I think you want to go longer range than that," Bird explained.
The director went on to say that the driving force behind the story of The Incredibles and its sequel is not set primarily in the "superhero part of it." Bird said, "It was more the family dynamic, and how do superhero things play into that."
Hence, the upcoming film will be "a step further in that direction." However, Bird shared, "But I do have a story idea that I think is very intriguing, and not like anything else. So my goal would to still be surprising, which is not easy to do, and maybe I'll succeed, and maybe I won't! That's certainly what I'm going to try."
In an interview with Screen Rant, Bird also explained his decision to not rush into things in terms of making a sequel or in choosing a project.
"Sometimes when they do bad movies they have only a date," he observed. "They say, "We need a thing on this date and that thing should be big and noisy and we should get some stars on it and it should be a title that everybody already knows so we don't have to advertise it and, go!" And it's just a date," he added.
He further shared that he hated the idea of pushing for a sequel simply because the first one made it big. "Well I think there is that world where any idea that is successful there is this notion, which I hate, which is, "You're leaving money on the table if you don't go again and start pushing it again," and I reject that reason for doing things. However, there are certain ideas where you have a sandbox built and you're excited about playing with those characters again," he explained.
He added, "Incredibles, I had a blast making that movie, I love all the characters in it, I feel close to them all - flaws and all - I enjoy that group of characters. You can stay out of it for awhile, but if you don't get going pretty soon, too much time goes by and your chance is kind of lost. I welcome the chance to return with those characters."
