Actor, writer, producer, and director Jon Favreau has offered his thoughts on the negative comments about Marvel movies made recently by directors Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola.

　　Speaking to CNBC, the Iron Man director said Scorsese and Coppola--who are two of the most esteemed directors of all time--are his "heroes," and he owes them a debt of gratitude as it relates to his own career. They can say whatever they want about the current state of film, Favreau said.

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　　"These two guys are my heroes and they've earned the right to express their opinions," Favreau said. "I wouldn’t be doing what I'm doing if they didn't carve the way. They've served as a source of inspiration, you can go all the way back to Swingers where I was referencing Marty, and I've worked with him. For me, they can express whatever opinion they'd like, and I'll leave it at that.”

　　Scorsese, the Oscar-winning director behind Goodfellas, The Departed, Taxi Driver, and The Wolf of Wall Street, made waves when he said Marvel movies are "not cinema." Coppola, the five-time Oscar winning director behind The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, backed up Scorsese's comments and went further, saying Marvel movies are "despicable."

　　As Favreau alluded to, his 1996 movie Swingers features a handful of references to Scorsese's movies, including Taxi Driver and Goodfellas. Favreau also acted in Scorsese's Oscar-nominated movie The Wolf of Wall Street.

　　Favreau has had a big year. He directed Disney's new Lion King movie, which went on to make $1.65 billion at the box office to become the seventh biggest movie in the history of cinema. He is also the executive producer on Disney's new Star Wars TV show The Mandalorian which premieres in November on Disney Plus.