The past two weeks both Marvel and Warner Bros/DC has had a rash of speculation and unconfirmed rumors. Reporting on these rumors are tricky. Most of the time the rumors are legitimate, however, we are reporting on negotiations which could always fall through at any point. Particularly when the reports have to do with negotiations between talent and the studio. Scheduling, timing, and changes to the script. are just some reasons why a particular rumored negotiation can fall through. Well there is major movement in the world of The Avengers that we have gotten cross-referenced.
Last week a rumor surfaced that claimed that Anthony and Joe Russo, affectionately known as the Russo Bros, were in talks to helm the biggest film saga Marvel Studios has ever attempted. Apparently Marvel was so happy with their work directing Captain America: The Winter Soldier and their pre-production work on Captain America: Civil War, that they are in line to direct the next two installments of The Avengers, The Avengers: Infinity War pt 1 & 2. Deadline has confirmed that they have heard the same rumblings that the Russo Bros are indeed in talks for directing both films back to back.
While details are scarce on the Infinity War movies, there are a ton of bread crumbs that have been left in previous films. They certainly will adapt elements from the Infinity Gauntlet storyline from the comics. Marvel has already planted their flag by announcing the release date as well as a teaser trailer for The Avengers: Infinity War pt 1 & 2. So the wheels are in motion for the grand finale to Marvel’s third phase of movie production.
While Captain America: The Winter Soldier was amazing, it was a very grounded take on the superhero genre. That was the Russo Bros first attempt at large-scale feature filmmaking, after cutting their teeth in the TV world for years on shows such as Community. It is reasonable to question if they will be able to wield all the science-fiction and supernatural elements that they steered clear of in The Winter Soldier. However, Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones) directed Thor: The Dark World to mixed results and Joss Whedon did have a feature film under his belt before directing The Avengers, but nothing in his resume suggested that he would be able to deliver that level of quality.
Ultimately much of the story, action sequences and characters will be determined ahead of time, so the choice of director is not as paramount as it would be for a solo production. However, it should be noted that if this rumor holds up, it certainly means that the Russo Bros are part of Marvel’s brain-trust moving forward. They will help to make all the puzzle pieces fit together. Additionally, they are a brother team and will consequently share the load of such an ambitious project. If they are shooting back to back, it will be one of the largest and most grueling productions ever. Having two people to carry the load seems like the wise decision.
Marvel has no need to rush to confirm the director that they have chosen, so don’t expect a confirmation soon necessarily. However, the events of Captain America: Civil War will weigh heavy on the entire Marvel cinematic universe. So the more details and eventual footage that come in from that production, should help to gauge how the Russo Bros will handle the more fantastic elements of the MCU. Marvel is in the driver’s seat and is riding hard.
Do you think that the Russo Bros are up to the challenge of directing Thanos? Let us know on our boards, and !