When they’re not busy endorsing actresses for nascent superhero projects (read: Anna Kendrick for the part of Squirrel Girl), Joe and Anthony Russo are quietly beginning to get their ducks in a row for Avengers: Infinity War.
Part two may be without a title for the time being, though we understand both Infinity War and its sequel are still on course to launch on May 4, 2018 and May 3, 2019, respectively.
It’s a two-part event film that has been long in the cards, but during a recent interview with IGN, co-director Anthony Russo noted that Infinity War isn’t simply a culmination of what has come before; rather, it’ll act as an end and a new beginning for the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole.
[zerg]Tip-toeing around any potential spoilers, Anthony Russo teased the inevitable shift into Phase 4 and, potentially, a new roster for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
“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.” With so many new heroes in Phase 3, could we get a New Avengers?”
The jury’s still out on that one, although the ending of Age of Ultron – one that eventually teed up the superhero chasm seen in Civil War – did act as a poignant reminder that Marvel isn’t afraid to chop and change its lineup. But are the Russo brothers selecting their costumed heroes based on preference? Or to serve the story at hand?
“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.”
Avengers: Infinity War will arrive on May 4, 2018 and could well feature the Guardians of the Galaxy – if Vin Diesel is to be believed, that is. Its sequel, meanwhile, will drop on May 3, 2019.
