Joe and Anthony Russo, who brought ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame’ to immense box office success, may return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the directing duo is in early talks to helm the 2026 ‘Avengers’ film (formerly titled ‘The Kang Dynasty’) and the 2027 ‘Avengers: Secret Wars,’ concluding the MCU's Multiverse Saga.
These films are expected to be interconnected, similar to the two-part narrative of 2018’s ‘Infinity War’ and 2019’s ‘Endgame.’
The hiring concludes a months-long, high-stakes search by the studio for directors to lead the fifth and sixth Avengers movies. Sources say several candidates were considered, including ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ director Shawn Levy, who was offered the role.
The Russos have directed four Marvel films, including 2014's ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ and 2016's ‘Captain America: Civil War.’ ‘Avengers: Endgame’ is the second-highest-grossing movie in history with $2.79 billion, while ‘Infinity War’ ranks sixth with $2.05 billion. They join James Cameron as the only directors with two $2 billion blockbusters.
About Russo Brothers
They have become prolific producers through their AGBO banner, producing the best picture winner ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ and high-budget projects like Amazon’s ‘Citadel’ and Netflix’s ‘Extraction’ movies. As directors, after their box office triumphs at Marvel, they focused on streaming titles that didn't achieve the critical and cultural impact of their Marvel work, directing the Tom Holland crime drama ‘Cherry’ (2021) for Apple and the big-budget action movie ‘The Gray Man’ (2022) for Netflix. They also directed the upcoming sci-fi adventure ‘The Electric State’ for Netflix.
It's uncertain when Marvel will start production on the upcoming ‘Avengers’ installments. Anthony and Joe Russo's next film is Netflix's ‘The Electric State,’ a sci-fi adventure starring Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown, which finished shooting in late 2022.
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