Ms. Marvel Directors Adil And Bilall's Movies, And Where You Can Watch Them
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Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, more widely known as Adil and Bilall, are having quite the moment in Hollywood. In just a few short years, the Belgian directing duo skyrocketed from making low-budget independent films to high-stakes action flicks. The meteoric rise is only continuing thanks to some major gigs, but they haven't lost track of their independent, dramatic, and unashamedly Moroccan roots.
Now, they're combining both these worlds in their newest project, the first and final episodes of "Ms. Marvel" for Disney+. With audiences now getting a glimpse of the duo's directorial style, you might be wondering what other projects the duo have made that helped them land an MCU directing gig. Thankfully, we've gathered all the information you need to get caught up on the intense style of Adil and Billah's directorial work. Here are the movies you can watch online right now, as well as what you need to know about their upcoming projects.
Short films: Broeders (2011) and Hashtag (2017)
Where You Can Watch It: "Broeders" streaming on YouTube, "Hashtag" unavailable to watch.
Every director, or directing duo, needs to start somewhere, and these often come in the form of short films. After all, directing a short film gives artists a good idea of what to do when their dream of directing a feature-length one comes. Adil & Bilall have made two prominent short films that showcased their developing talent, growing into their style in the process.
Described simply as "a modern fable about two young men" on its IMDb page, "Broeders" follows Karim and Nassim, two polar opposites that just so happen to live in the same neighborhood. While they might be vastly different in terms of goals and direction, their lives become intertwined in dangerous ways.
As for "Hashtag," the film puts a spotlight on Marie (Sara Garcia Santacreu) has begun speaking to a guy online named Kevin (Ruud Oomen). Unfortunately, one request for a particular type of photo from Kevin quickly turns things sideways, causing Marie to question who really is behind the man she was falling in love with.
Image (2014)
Where You Can Watch It: Unavailable to watch.
This political thriller established Adil & Bilall as up-and-coming directors, having won the Audience Award at the 2015 Film Festival Oostende (via IMDb), a major film festival based in their native Belgium. Their debut feature film holds nothing back regarding what some people will do in order to get to the truth.
"Image" is the story of Eva (Laura Verlinden), a young journalist who just cannot seem to advance in her field the way she envisioned. Trying to make a name for herself, she decides to dive deep into riots that broke out in a suburb of Brussels, hoping to find a noteworthy story behind the violence. However, she crosses paths with the charismatic but troubled Lahbib (Nabil Mallat). Eva does get her wish, finding a complex story behind the growing violence and the increase in gang activity around the city. Unfortunately, it might be too late for her to leave it all behind.
Black (2015)
Where You Can Watch It: Unavailable to watch
While Adil & Bilall screened their works at film festivals previously, "Black" marked their first international premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. This international exposure could have been the stepping stone that caused their meteoric rise as filmmakers. After all, it did screen in the esteemed Discovery section of the festival (via La Libre Belgique).
This loose adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet" and "West Side Story" keeps the duo's home city of Brussels in the spotlight, this time showcasing the lives of two rival gangs. Mavela (Martha Canga Antonio) and Marwan (Aboubakr Bensaihi) are members of these respective gangs, who are currently in the midst of fighting over territory. However, a fateful encounter brings the two youths together, sparking a passionate love affair. Unfortunately, the romance is considered both a danger to themselves and their gangs, threatening to pull them into a bloody street war.
Gangsta (2018)
Where You Can Watch It: Streaming on Prime Video, available to rent on Google Play on $2.99, Vudu for $2.99, and Apple TV+ for $4.99.
While it wasn't a worldwide phenomenon, "Gangsta" is a perfect encapsulation of the filmmaking traits that would become trademarks of Adil & Bilall's films: high-stakes action, underground groups, and especially a strong sense of community and bonding among its characters.
The film revolves around the intertwining lives of four drug dealers, moving out of their usual backdrop of Brussels and into Antwerp, Belgium. Led by the charismatic Adamo (Matteo Simoni), the group wants to expand their services into dealing hard drugs, seeking the assistance of a drug lord named Orlando (Werner Kolf) in order to progress further. Unfortunately, a close call with police officers spirals out of control to the point where the once-tight group of friends now have to fight for their lives.
Bad Boys For Life
Where You Can Watch It: Available to buy on Prime Video for $12.99, Vudu for $12.99, and Apple TV+ for $14.99.
It took a long time for the third "Bad Boys" movie to come out, especially after original director Michael Bay was no longer available to direct it. Ideas for the movie circled around for years until 2018 where, after a string of highly publicized delays and a near-cancellation, Adil and Bilall were hired to replace the previously hired director, Joe Carnahan, though he maintained a screenwriting credit. Things were smooth sailing from there: "Bad Boys For Life" was fully cast, filmed in Miami and Atlanta, and was released in January 2020, grossing over $426.5 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo).
After years of serving as detectives in Miami, Marcus (Martin Lawrence) is considering retiring from the force, disappointing his partner and best friend, Mike (Will Smith). Unfortunately, Mike ends up getting shot by Armando (Jacob Scipio), the son of a deceased drug kingpin, and put into a coma. After Mike recovers, he and Marcus are determined to seek revenge but are forced to join forces with the techy AMMO unit at the police station to do so. Secrets are revealed, gunshots are fired, and you better believe there are plenty of fiery explosions.
Some roadblocks
Astute readers will probably notice the majority of Adil & Bilall's releases aren't that accessible for public viewing. Searching any other film by the duo on various streaming or film purchasing websites does not bring up accurate results, which is an absolute shame given how fast they have skyrocketed as a directing duo. Given how high in demand these directors are, it only seems fair that their entire filmography is available to watch. Unfortunately, despite the various movie-watching services and platforms available, that doesn't seem to be the case. If these two hot-ticket directors can't make this happen, what about other independent directors trying to make names for themselves?
It's a shame that the rest of Adil & Bilall's filmography is so inaccessible given their clear talent. Here's to hoping that these movies one day become more accessible so more people can watch them and see how far they've grown as directors.
Upcoming releases
Despite the fact that many entries in their filmography aren't easily accessible, Adil & Bilall have some exciting movies coming soon down the production pipeline. The duo recently had their Cannes debut with the intense drama "Rebel," which follows two Belgian brothers who end up fighting for different causes during the Syrian civil war. The movie received positive reviews out of Cannes but is still awaiting distribution. It might not be long, however, until it gets scooped up.
If that sounds too intense for your liking, the duo are also continuing their mainstream ascension with the DC Extended Universe entry "Batgirl." Set to be released on HBO Max later in 2022, plot details are being kept under wraps but will follow Barbara Gordon (Leslie Grace) as she becomes a crime-fighting vigilante under the titular identity. It is also confirmed to involve the Batman supervillain Firefly (Brendan Fraser), as well as the Michael Keaton iteration of Batman, although why exactly this is the case is still unknown.