Following the massive success of “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame,” there was a time when the Russo Brothers were the biggest filmmakers on the planet, and most fans presumed, don’t worry, they’ll be back to direct “Avengers: Secret Wars.”
But much has changed in the ensuing years. The Russos, via their AGBO company, have delivered two films in that time that they themselves have directed, the drama “Cherry” with Tom Holland for Apple and the would-be Netflix franchise “The Gray Man” with Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, an expensive affair that never took off with critics.
Some posited that after the “failure” of “The Gray Man” and the somewhat underwhelming reception to “Cherry,” the Russos might change their tune and want to come “crawling back to Marvel” (at least some more cynical fans have put it this way). But in a new interview with Games Radar, the filmmakers insist they want to build and create their own original franchises and aren’t as interested in playing in someone else’s franchise sandbox.
Asked about Kevin Feige, who reportedly wanted to make his own “Star Wars” movie, tentatively with the Russos at the helm—though he insists that’s not happening now—the Russos basically reiterated their original ABGO plan: make their own “Star Wars”-like properties, aka original properties and franchises.
“The intention is that we want to build our own ‘Star Wars,’” Joe Russo said. “For us, it’s all about the focus on original storytelling and new ideas. If anything, there’s been too much. I mean, I think you could argue we’re in a rut of repetitive storytelling and potential franchise abuse. So, at a certain point, I think the audience is craving new ideas and new stories. And that’s where all of our focus is going post-Marvel—asking, ‘What are those new stories?’ ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ showed the appetite out there— audiences want something different.”
While “The Gray Man” arguably failed, according to the brothers, a sequel is still an option for them.
“We’re developing concepts we think are the right direction to take the character in, and so, we are working on that at the moment,” Joe explained. “I mean, you’re juggling like 14 things at the same time, so you have to apportion your time correctly to each one of them.”
“But that’s part of the benefit of having our own company now, which is filled with really important collaborators that we’ve been working with for many years, and that’s the only way we’re able to sustain this level of work,” Anthony added. “We always joke there’s not two Russo Brothers; there’s like 14.”
One of the original I.P. brands the Russos have built is the “Extraction” action franchise starring Chris Hemsworth, which they said is working on a third installment.
“Yeah, we’re developing it at the moment, figuring out Chris’ schedule,” Joe revealed. “Sam Hargrave is back directing. It’s an interesting franchise because he’s a very emotionally wounded character, so there’s good storytelling there, I think, with respect to his backstory, and, you know, his relationship to violence is one that’s built around self-loathing and guilt. And so, it adds a lot of texture, I think, which allows us to tell more stories about him.”
Next up for the Russos is the sci-fi adventure film “The Electric State” with Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown, which is scheduled to arrive sometime in 2024 on Netflix.