Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios and the man behind all 20 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, will be honored this year as he becomes the recipient of the 2019 David O. Selznick Achievement Award.
The Producers Guild of America present the award each year in recognition of a producer’s body of work. Feige has had record-setting success since taking his position at Marvel in 2007, and has managed to break new ground this year alone with Black Panther, pulling in a $1.3 billion box office return. Two months later, his studio’s Avengers: Infinity War became another smash hit, earning $2 billion worldwide.
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PGA presidents Gail Berman and Lucy Fisher noted that Feige’s contributions, particularly in 2018, have been about more than financial success. “What Kevin has accomplished with Marvel Studios is one of the great success stories of this generation,” they said in a joint announcement. “And now, with Black Panther and the upcoming Captain Marvel, Kevin has broadened our entire industry’s expectations for what tentpole movies look like — in front of the camera, behind the camera and in the audience.”
Feige finds himself in esteemed company, with previous winners of the Selznick Award including names such as David Heyman, Stanley Kramer, Billy Wilder, Clint Eastwood, Jerry Bruckheimer, Brian Grazer, Laura Ziskin, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Scott Rudin and Steven Spielberg.
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In his acknowledgement of the upcoming honor, Feige made a point of expressing both his gratitude and his awe at being chosen. He referred to Selznick and the previous recipients as “heroes and mentors,” and added, “I want to also thank my Marvel Studios family, who have been with me every step of the way and without whom I would never have had this amazing journey.”
Up next from Feige and Marvel will be several anticipated sequels and standalone films, including Spider-Man: Far From Home, the follow-up to Infinity War, and Captain Marvel, all of which are expected to be released in 2019.