The Russo Brothers are in full Marvel mode right now. Aside from prepping a two-part Avengers saga, Joe and Anthony are also making the PR rounds to discuss the Blu-ray release of their most recent MCU effort… Captain America: Civil War (September 13th). The problem is, no one wants to discuss the past; they only want to look towards the future and what awaits Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Thankfully, the Russos are happy to oblige.
With Avengers: Infinity War, the Russos are in charge of bringing all three phases of the MCU to a massive climactic ending. However, that’s not their only task. The Russo’s spoke to IGN about how they also have to create a bridge for Marvel’s phase four and beyond.
“I can’t get into too much detail about who we’re introducing, but these two movies are intended to be the culmination of everything that has happened in the MCU since the very first Iron Man movie. In being a culmination, these movies are in some ways going to be an end to certain things, and in some ways, they’re going to be the beginning of certain things.”
Introduction to new characters aside, one of the biggest concerns for fans is the amount of characters set to appear in Infinity War. The Winter Soldier was the first to officially be enlisted. Then Vin Diesel let it slip that The Guardians of the Galaxy are set to drop by Earth to lend a hand. The Russo’s understand that it’s tricky business deciding who’s in, and who’s out.
“It’s a little bit of both, because you always have to make sure that your choices feel organic to the storytelling, and really, you have to sort of structure them in the way that they need to be there. You have to have them, or they shouldn’t be in the movie. It’s a little bit of a dance between the two, where you have big eyes, and you want everybody included in the movie, but you have to go through the process of… what’s the best story that you can tell.”
While selecting which Avengers will show up is certainly a considerable task, deciding what friends will stop by for a cameo is quite another. The Russo’s have done a great job sneaking in easter eggs from their previous television work. Of course there was the stair car from Arrested Development in Civil War. Also, Community alumni Danny Pudi stopped by Captain America: The Winter Soldier as a S.H.I.E.L.D. Security Guard, while Jim Rash mingled with Tony Stark as the M.I.T. Professor. The Russo’s told Cinemablend that those cameos aren’t over just yet.
“Yeah, absolutely. We’ve got to keep the streak going…. We’re literally in that phase of the pre-production where we start thinking about those kinds of things, and right now we’re looking for the right part to see who’s a match for the next cameo.”
While casting rumors and changes will come and go until Infinity War is released on May 4th, 2018, one major change has already taken place. No longer will the second part of the Avengers saga be called Infinity War: Part 2. Instead, it’s a now separate movie, and will receive its own proper title in due time. The Russo’s discussed how changes in both movie’s narrative lead to the title change.
“We wanted the movie to be very different and distinctive, you know. There’s certainly cross-pollination between characters and some story-arcs, but you know, the first movie is very clearly Avengers: Infinity War and, in time, we will reveal what the second film is.”
Changing storylines. Characters being added and subtracted at a moment’s notice. The Russo’s are juggling a lot of balls with the balance of the MCU in their hands at all times. While the pressure they are facing would cause some filmmakers to snap, the Russo’s seem calm and collected and appear ready to face the challenges that await them. So forget about The Avengers… it’s Joe and Anthony Russo that are the true heroes of Infinity War (that is, if they can pull it off!).
