The Russo brothers would "love" to make a Marvel TV show – and the pair joked that they would pick the most unlikely superheroes to star in it.
Speaking exclusively to TechRadar at the UK junket for their new movie – The Gray Man, which lands on Netflix worldwide today (Friday, July 22) – Joe and Anthony Russo said they hadn't ruled out the possibility of working with Marvel Studios again. And, if the opportunity arose to do so, the siblings would certainly be open to making a Disney Plus series for Marvel's juggernaut franchise, aka the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
However, despite expressing their desire to collaborate with Marvel again, the Russos insisted that they weren't in contact with the studio about a new project. Even so, the duo couldn't help but drop a surreal but amusing tease about which D-list superheroes they'd pick to feature in an MCU Disney Plus show if they made one.
"We love longform storytelling," Anthony Russo said. "That's why television has always appealed to us. It's why our Marvel movies and, to an extent, The Gray Man, appealed to us, too, which can be conceived as that type of narrative, because they're based on comic books and a novel series. So yes, we have a passion for TV shows and we love Marvel, but we don't have any plans to do something with them, either on the series or movie front."
"Whatever we say, we're going to get asked about it 100 times over the next week," Joe Russo added. "So let's pick the Great Lakes Avengers. Or the story of Cheese-Man!"
For the uninitiated, the Great Lakes Avengers were a sister superhero group to the West Coast Avengers. They were introduced in Marvel comics in July 1989, with the team consisting of lesser known superheroes including Mr. Immortal, Doorman, Big Bertha, and Flatman. Yes, those are all very real superheroes in the Marvel comic book universe.
Despite their relative obscurity among comic fans, the Great Lakes Avengers have a history with some of the most popular superheroes of all-time. Hawkeye was among those who trained the group, while Deadpool and Squirrel Girl have occasionally lined-up alongside Mr. Immortal and company.
Meanwhile, there isn't actually a superpowered being called Cheeseman in Marvel comics. The closest thing to such an individual is Kevin, aka Stale Cheese, a piece of mouldy cheese that Spider-Man – i.e. Peter Parker – keeps in his fridge. The webslinger claims the cheese's green mold is super-intelligent, though no-one believes that to be true.
The Russo brothers may not be developing a new MCU film or series, but it's unsurprising why they're constantly linked with doing so. The duo directed four of the MCU's most popular movies – Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. The latter pair of that quartet are two of the highest grossing films of all-time, too, grossing $2 billion and $2.7 billion at the global box office respectively.
In the years since Endgame's 2019 release, the pair have opened up on their wish to return to the MCU; regularly naming the highly ambitious Secret Wars comic series as their dream project to work on. MCU insiders, including Greatphase and MyTimetoShineHello, suggest that Marvel Studios are building towards a live-action Secret Wars production as the culmination of its Phase 4, Phase 5, and potentially Phase 6 plans. Even Jim Shooter, the writer behind the original Secret Wars storyline in Marvel comics, has claimed Marvel Studios are making a live-action project based on the property (per CBR.com).
With Marvel potentially announcing more details about what we can expect from its next slate of movies and shows at its main 2022 Comic-Con panel, we may learn more about the possibility of a Secret Wars duology (and the Russos' possible role in its development) very soon.
For more MCU-based content, check out our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order. And check back in with TechRadar this weekend for our in-depth chat with the Russos about how they brought The Gray Man to life for Netflix, which could end up making it onto our best Netflix movies list.
