Ray Chan is a “longtime Marvel Cinematic Universe filmmaker,” “good friend to everyone at Marvel Studios,” and “a peerless visionary.”
You may not recognize his name but you have marveled at his work (pun so intended). As a production designer and art director, you have gifted with the ability to make a world come to life. They read the script, envisions what those words create, present an idea to the director, finds the location (anywhere on the planet, depending on the budget), and brings a real or fictitious land to the screen.
As Marvel Studios shared in their touching obituary, Ray Chan did that “from Xandar to the Sanctum Sanctorum.”
“Ray was first and foremost a good friend to everyone at Marvel Studios. He was a talented collaborator who brought creativity and attention to detail to every frame of every movie he worked on, and who was able to bring out the best in each department he worked with,” said Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige and Louis D’Esposito.
Ray Chan’s first worked as a supervising art director with Marvel Studios during the lackluster Thor: The Dark World. His other creations are Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man: Far from Home, and throughout the Infinity Saga: Age of Ultron, Infinity War, and Endgame.
Reports are inconclusive about the reason for his death. His family shared Ray was found near his home in Wales.
“Ray truly was one of the best, in so many ways,” they said. “He had an exuberance for life, which was tragically cut short and will be sorely missed.
His work was not Marvel exclusive, but acclaimed nonetheless. Ray Chan has a resume that includes Ridley Scott (Robin Hood), Jonathan Liebesman (Wrath of the Titans), Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men), and Ed Zwick (Blood Diamond). Ray Chan earned nominations for an Art Directors Guild Award five times, winning in 2015 and 2020 for Guardians of the Galaxy and Endgame, respectively.
Regretfully, he won’t get to see his latest world building come to pass. Chan’s latest project was Deadpool & Wolverine. Ryan Reynolds share his warm thoughts and loss.
RIP Ray Chan
Words are pretty inadequate in comparison to this loss.
There’s an incomparable reservoir of skill, tender grit and talent no longer with us. As Production Designer, he was as important a creative force on Deadpool & Wolverine as the writers, director and stars.
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) April 26, 2024
Ray Chan was only 56 years old.
Since he saw ‘Dune’ in the $1 movie theater as a kid, this guy has been a lover of geek culture. It wasn’t until he became a professional copywriter, ghostwriter, and speechwriter that he began to write about it (a lot).
From the gravitas of the Sith, the genius of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, or the gluttony of today’s comic fan, SPW digs intelligent debate about entertainment. He’s also addicted to listicles, storytelling, useless trivia, and the Oxford comma. And, he prefers his puns intended.
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