VisionQuest, Interview with Terry Matalas: "Artificial Intelligence is a Lens to Tell Humanity's Story"

VIDEO. https://www.swisstransfer.com/dl/01a14a9f-4c7d-726c-937b-3692be6d0a89

Timing played a strange trick on Terry Matalas, who took over from his colleague Jac Schaeffer (WandaVision, Agatha All Along) after she handed him the reins of VisionQuest, the third and final chapter of this ideal Marvel television trilogy. It's the one where, after a decade and numerous "reboots," the character played by Paul Bettany finally takes center stage. This happens just as artificial intelligences in the real world are increasingly perceived as the villains, the bad guys of our time. 

In VisionQuest, however, many of them crowd the Mind Palace, Vision's mind palace, which has preserved the memories of his previous heroic incarnation, but not the emotions that accompanied them. He thus finds himself having to learn to interact with humans again. For Matalas, who boasts a solid sci-fi resume (he wrote for Star Trek: Picard and 12 Monkeys), these artificial creatures certainly don't represent a threat: it would be like getting angry at WALL-E, he jokes. Characters like Vision and Ultron, whom we find again in the human guises of Paul Bettany and James Spader, instead allow us once again to focus on what it means to be human.

How would you describe VisionQuest? It's been presented as a sequel to WandaVision, the conclusion of a trilogy that began with that series and then continued with Agatha All Along, yet it's also a standalone story, isn't it?

Terry Matalas - It's a bit of a sequel, a bit the conclusion of a trilogy, but it's also a series that works independently. As someone who wrote and directed it, I believe it's primarily the story of a character searching for their identity, for a connection with others, and for the discovery of humanity. In some ways, it also tells the story of the discovery of inhumanity. Above all, I hope it's a journey capable of surprising both fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and those who are not particularly familiar with this narrative universe.

The series asks the audience to empathize with numerous Marvel characters who are, in fact, artificial intelligences. Was it difficult to address this theme at a historical moment when the attitude towards artificial intelligence is often negative, marked by fear and sometimes even anger?

Terry Matalas - I think those are two very different things that are being conflated. The artificial intelligences we see in the series are profoundly different from those we interact with today. It would be a bit like getting angry at WALL-E because he's an artificial intelligence. That's not really the point, is it?
However, in the series, we also address the theme of humanity's responsibility towards the artificial intelligences it creates, almost as if humans were their parents, but not always so responsible after bringing them into the world. Nevertheless, this remains a science fiction premise. If someone approaches the series bringing their own existential fears about artificial intelligence, they won't find a dissertation on this topic. In VisionQuest, artificial intelligence is primarily a tool, a lens through which to observe and tell the story of humanity.

Let's talk about humanity. Vision and Ultron are both artificial beings created by humans, but they have developed two radically different perspectives on humanity. What was it like to bring them together again after the end of Age of Ultron and have them confront each other on this topic again?

Terry Matalas - It was really a lot of fun. There's a scene at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, a couple of minutes of dialogue between Vision and the film's villain (played by Paul Bettany and James Spader), which is one of my favorites in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.
One of the ideas I had from the beginning was precisely to reverse their roles compared to that scene, because now we have a different Vision as the protagonist. The original Vision had a perspective on humanity that young Ultron, at the time, did not possess. Now, however, Ultron has had enough time to assimilate enough of our art, our entertainment, and our history to develop a different perspective on humanity. And it is precisely that perspective that this new Vision desperately needs.
It seemed like a really interesting and fun dynamic to explore, especially considering that there's a kind of father-son relationship between the two. It's a relationship that allows us to observe these characters from a different perspective than their first encounter.

Paul Bettany has played Vision for over ten years, but this is the first time the character has truly been at the center of the story. While writing for him and working so closely with the actor, did you discover anything about Vision that hadn't been explored until now?

Terry Matalas - There were surprises practically every day on set. I worked closely with Paul, also during the writing of the screenplays, and among other things, I had the good fortune to direct him personally in the last two episodes.
One of the most beautiful things about this job is precisely the spontaneity of what can happen in the moment. There are situations where you suddenly realize that something works in a way you hadn't anticipated, and then you think: "Oh, we hadn't thought of that. We should try to develop this idea a bit."
Both Paul and James are also excellent screenwriters and made truly significant contributions to the construction of the scenes. During the weekends, we would sit together to work on them, discuss, and find new possibilities for the characters.
It was really a lot of fun. I think the biggest surprise was precisely this collaborative experience, the possibility of bringing the story to life together with two actors who know their characters so well and who contributed so significantly to developing them.