Marvel Studios must really be worried if they’re wooing Joe and Anthony Russo back to the Avengers sandbox. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the directing duo behind the last two Avengers movies are now in the “early stages” of talks to take over the next two Avengers movies. Last we heard, the Russos were saying they wouldn’t “be ready to do anything with Marvel until the end of the decade.” Well, perhaps if both parties are desperate enough, that timeline can be accelerated a bit—d’you think they can get this deal signed in time for San Diego Comic-Con?
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Much has been made about the MCU falling off after Avengers: Endgame, and the truth is that the studio’s financial and creative success has been a real mixed bag since concluding the last Avengers arc. The current potential line-up (which ostensibly includes Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Sam Wilson’s Captain America, Shang-Chi, and Shuri’s Black Panther) is not a particularly inspiring one. There was a glimmer of interest introducing the next big villain, Kang the Conqueror, but the studio experienced a serious setback when Kang actor Jonathan Majors was convicted in a domestic violence trial last year. The studio parted ways with the star and reportedly scrapped plans for Avengers: Kang Dynasty as the franchise’s fifth film. There’s also been an ongoing search for an Avengers 5 director ever since Destin Daniel Cretton bowed out (not long before Majors’ conviction), and recently there have been rumors that Loki’s Michael Waldron won’t be writing the movie anymore, either.
Amid all that chaos, the studio could really use some reliable hitmakers like the guys who made Endgame. But the Russo brothers probably need Marvel as much as Marvel needs them. The pair struck out on their own with their production company AGBO with the intention of creating their own original franchises. So far, though, they’ve made a lot of extremely expensive critical failures (Cherry, The Gray Man, and Citadel). Those projects were all made for streaming, so they can’t be judged against the box office numbers of their Marvel output. Still, it’s safe to say after that run that the Russos could use some Marvel shine.
It’s obvious why Marvel would want the Russos back in the directors’ chairs for Avengers. They have a proven track record of being able to handle big blockbuster production and juggle the various storytelling demands of a large team cast. Given the uncertainty in front of and behind the camera for the MCU right now, it makes sense that Marvel would seek out trusted directors. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Russo brothers are the right choice, though. The projects they’ve done post-Marvel betray a muddy vision and an overreliance on the dull, generic CGI aesthetic that the MCU has been increasingly criticized for in recent years. Making fans excited about a new team requires a fresh approach, and looking backwards feels like the wrong call. But hey, a lot can be forgiven if they can recapture some of that old Avengers magic.