The Russo brothers turned out to be the perfect choices to take the reins of the Avengers franchise from Joss Whedon. Following their acclaimed Captain America movies, Joe and Anthony Russo delivered the fifth and first highest-grossing films of all time with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Since then, they’ve left Marvel behind to tackle smaller-scale projects, like Tom Holland vehicle Cherry. But could a return to the MCU be in the cards?
This is what Joe Russo was asked during an interview with Variety, and his response was highly intriguing. The filmmaker pleaded the fifth with his answer, but the fact that he didn’t want to talk about it suggested that there was something to talk about in the first place. When pressed for a comment on rumors that he and his brother are in negotiations with the studio, Russo said “It would be inappropriate for [him] to comment on a deal if we were in the middle of it.”
Variety’s piece references a report from The Wall Street Journal that claimed the Russos’ discussions with Marvel had hit a standstill due to the directors’ concerns over how the movie would be released and how they would be getting paid. These concerns were directly tied into Scarlett Johansson’s legal action against Disney.
Given that the Black Widow actress has since settled her business with the studio, it’s possible that the Russos and Disney could break out of their own stalemate next. Joe told Variety that he was pleased with how things went regarding the lawsuit.
“I’m glad that the lawsuit’s resolved,” he said. “I do think it was indicative of the significant change that’s been happening. The resolution speaks volumes about the respect for artists moving forward in this changing landscape.”
Given that the Russos are a reliable pair of hands when it comes to large-scale, team-up flicks, it’s possible that they’re in talks with Marvel to helm the next Avengers: Endgame-level movie event, presumably Avengers 5. But whatever their next MCU project is, it will be a ways off. First the duo are helming thriller The Gray Man, with Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, for Netflix. They’re also producing the Jamie Lee Curtis sci-fi flick Everything Everywhere All at Once and Disney’s Hercules reboot.