Brothers Joe and Anthony Russo are quickly becoming two of the most talked about filmmakers in Hollywood. Their history in TV is certainly nothing to sniff at. The two directed some of the best known episodes of critical darlings Happy Endings and Community, and won an Emmy for their work on Arrested Development. Now the two have directed two of Marvel Studios’ biggest hits, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War, and are set to take over The Avengers franchise from Joss Whedon in the Infinity War sequels (hitting theaters May 4, 2018 and May 3, 2019).
Screen Rant previously reported on the Russos’ March opening of Anthem & Song, their own boutique studio in Beijing, China. The studio’s goal is to tap into the talents in a film market that is set to be the biggest in the world by next year.
The Wrap reports on the recent Produced By conference, where the Russo brothers discussed the benefits of being part of the Chinese film market. According to Joe, “There’s more diversity of storytelling than you can find here right now.” The two have been visiting their studio every other month to work to with Chinese teams of filmmakers on films for a Chinese audience.
But obviously that’s not all on the Russos’ plate. With back-to-back Avengers sequels set to start filming at the end of this year, the two are also in constant collaboration with Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige, and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (who co-wrote the Captain America trilogy and created the Agent Carter television series). Joe remarked on the process of breaking the story, “What’s most important in these large-scale movies is if you add as much information in script, typically, the movie has [a] better chance of being comprehensive and the audience enjoying it.”
The Russos certainly have their work cut out for them. While they have previously clarified that each of their Infinity War sequels were distinct chapters, the films are being filmed concurrently. According to Joe Russo, “Infinity Wars is being shot together purely because of the scale of cast,” said Russo. “Cast schedules are the driving force.” The brothers previously joked that they had a board with 67 characters on it that were under consideration for inclusion. They later clarified that they were speaking figuratively of the epic scope of the film, which would not only feature new characters but also act as “the entire culmination of the Marvel cinematic universe and, in many ways, the end to that part of it.”
Considering the caliber of actors Marvel Studios has employed, juggling a project of that size is sure to be a tremendous feat, both technically and tonally. The Russos have earned no shortage of goodwill from Marvel and their fans. They’ve proven to be directors who can make the most with both very little and a lot. The world waits to see what they’ll do with a little more.
Captain America: Civil War is in theaters now. Doctor Strange opens November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man: Homecoming – July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018;Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel– March 8, 2019; Avengers: Infinity War Part 2– May 3, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on July 12, 2019, and on May 1, July 10, and November 6 in 2020.
Source: The Wrap
