It was an option that, for some reason, Marvel didn’t consider seriously. There were rumors, but the company denied Anthony and Joe Russo’s future involvement in the MCU a while ago. However, a lot has happened in the last few years. Now, the Russo brothers and Marvel are at a different point and need each other. So, it makes perfect sense for them to work together again—at least from a business standpoint.
Back home. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Russo brothers will direct not one but both of new the Avengers movies. There's the untitled 2026 film (which was titled The Kang Dynasty until issues with actor Jonathan Majors forced a change in direction) and 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars, which would conclude the MCU’s multiverse saga. Due to the expected proximity of the releases, they will most likely be two interconnected films, just as 2018’s Infinity War and 2019's Endgame.
Greatest hits... The Russo brothers are responsible for some of the most popular Marvel films before Endgame. In addition to directing Avengers: Infinity War, they also directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014 and Captain America: Civil War in 2016.
They’re not only the most memorable films of those early Marvel phases, but they also broke box office records. Endgame is the second highest-grossing film in history, and Infinity War is the sixth. The Russo brothers are the only directors, along with James Cameron, to have two films that have grossed over $2 billion. Cameron has three titles: the two Avatar movies and Titanic.
... and not-so-big hits. However, the Russo brothers’ careers have been less successful outside of Marvel. For Netflix, they made the costly The Gray Man, which was meant to be a franchise and went nowhere. Their crime drama for Apple TV+, Cherry, went somewhat unnoticed. As producers, they were successful with Everything Everywhere All at Once but less so with Citadel for Prime Video, with mixed results. Now, they’re working on the promising The Electric State for Netflix.
Marvel loves you. Marvel knows the stakes are high with the Avengers movies— which perhaps represent the very survival of the MCU—and is keeping a bit of a low profile after the crazy announcements of dozens of films and series amid the post-Endgame hangover. The meager box office winnings of The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has meant that Marvel is going through 2024 with no releases beyond Deadpool and Wolverine, after which it’s planning a sort of reboot with completely new sagas and approaches, such as what Fantastic Four may bring. Remember that there’s still no news on what the new post-Thanos Avengers will look like.
The Jonathan Majors issue. In addition to all these misadventures, there's the problem of Majors, who expelled from Marvel after being convicted of domestic violence. After his introduction in the first season of Loki and his appearance in Quantumania, he was set to be the big villain of Marvel’s next chapter. Still, his cancelation has led to the need to rethink the subsequent phases of the MCU. It’s a true unforeseen event that has created a crisis where it's still unclear how Disney will emerge.
Others have tried before. The Russo brothers aren’t the only directors associated with this project. Many others have reportedly been responsible for it: Shang Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton was first in line after the success of his first film at Marvel. There was also talk of Deadpool and Wolverine director Shawn Levy taking the baton, although Levy he didn’t accept due to his commitment to Stranger Things. For a few weeks, rumors pointed that another pair, the fantastic Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, who directed some episodes of Moon Knight, would be at the helm of the next Avengers movies.
A practical decision. In fact, the momentary possibility of Benson and Moorhead taking over the Avengers movies makes me think about what we’re losing with the Russo brothers’ arrival. It’s a practical decision that will please many fans but also the less reckless one. In an age of risk-averse companies, the return of these directors guarantees films that are uncluttered, absolutely canonical, and arguably brimming with cameos and nods to the good old days. Commercially, the smartest thing to do. But creatively, is it the best decision?
This article was written by John Tones and originally published in Spanish on Xataka.
Imagen | Gake Sidmor
Related | Avengers 5: News, Rumored Cast and Crew and Everything We Know So Far
View 0 comments