Marvel is reportedly in early talks with the Russo brothers about helming the next two Avengers movies.
According to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), the comic book titan wants Anthony and Joe Russo to direct Avengers 5 and its sequel. THR is keen to stress that the duo haven't agreed to return but, if they sign on to tackle Marvel Cinematic Universe's (MCU) next superhero team-up films, it would mark a sensational U-turn for the pair, who have regularly voiced their hesitance over directing more ensemble superhero films.
The Russos are the latest individuals to be linked with the vacant director's (or should that now be directors'?) chair for Avengers 5, which was known as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Shang-Chi filmmaker Daniel Destin Cretton was initially installed as its director, but he walked away from the project in November 2023. Shawn Levy, who helmed the forthcoming MCU movie Deadpool and Wolverine, was also reportedly in the frame to direct Avengers 5 as recently as June 5.
Joe and Anthony Russo are assembling a team — once again.The Russo Bros., are in early talks to return to Marvel Studios to direct not just one, but the next two, #Avengers movies: https://t.co/DguOwNGz7b pic.twitter.com/DoFwboOvgaJuly 17, 2024
Should the Russo brothers rekindle their working relationship with Marvel, their helming of Avengers 5 and Avengers 6 – the latter is still expected to be called Avengers: Secret Wars – could eventually take their MCU movie directing tally to six. The pair steered the ship on 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 2016's Captain America: Civil War, 2018's Avengers: Infinity War, and 2019's Avengers: Endgame, but have spent the past five years developing films and TV shows for streaming platforms, such as Netflix and Apple TV Plus, through their AGBO production company.
The Russos' apparent involvement isn't the only recent rumor that's circulated online about Avengers 5. In April, it was claimed that Avengers 5 would start filming in early 2025, with that report arriving two months after Marvel reportedly dropped The Kang Dynasty part of its title. The supposed reworking of said film's name came two months after Marvel fired former Kang actor Jonathan Majors; the disgraced star being found guilty of two of four sexual assault charges last December.
Russos, assemble?
Thrilling though it would be to see Joe and Anthony Russo return to direct two more MCU movies, I'm conflicted over whether they should.
On the one hand, their potential homecoming would be a major boon to Marvel Studios. Their previous MCU flicks have been critically and commercially acclaimed, with fans and critics regularly hailing that quartet as some of the best Marvel movies ever made. Let's not forget that Infinity War and Endgame are two of the highest-grossing films of all-time, too – the pair sitting sixth ($2.048 billion globally) and second ($2.797 billion worldwide), respectively, on the biggest money-spinning movies list. Armed with their experience of directing ensemble supergroup movies, plus the clear evidence of how well their previous superhero films have performed, the Russos would be a safe but no less spectacular pairing to deliver more epic MCU films with the next two Avengers films.
That said, they didn't do it all on their own. Indeed, the work of screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who penned the scripts for the Russos' four Marvel films, was just as important to each flick's success. Unless that duo also returns to write each movie's screenplay – and they could, with rumors that previously installed Avengers 5 writer Michael Waldron may no longer be working on it (per Nexus Point News and The Hot Mic) – the Russos might not have the same quality of writing to craft two more excellent Avengers films. That's before you realize that, post-Endgame, the directing duo's other projects haven't been runaway successes – Apple's Cherry, Netflix's The Gray Man, and Prime Video's Citadel are just three such productions that have been panned and/or failed to capture viewers' attentions.
Joe and Anthony Russo's possible return, then, isn't a guaranteed win for Marvel. Of the names bandied about thus far, they're the ones I'd most like to see direct Avengers 5 and Avengers 6, but that doesn't mean I'll be giving them a free pass, especially in light of the inconsistent quality of theirs and Marvel's productions since Endgame.
Hopefully, with San Diego Comic-Con around the corner, we'll find out if they're really involved when Marvel holds its main Hall H panel on Saturday, July 27. In the meantime, you can watch all four Avengers films to date on Disney Plus.
