The Russo brothers have a track record of success that would make anyone jealous, having directed the highest-grossing movie in history with Avengers: Endgame. Not only that, but their four entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe earned a combined total of over $6.7 billion at the box office and hold an average Rotten Tomatoes score of 90%. However, the question lingers as to whether or not the duo are top tier filmmakers in their own right, or they simply mastered the MCU’s formula better than anyone else.
Joe and Anthony will be looking to put any doubts to rest with their next effort Cherry, which reunites them with Tom Holland in the true-life tale of an Iraq War veteran suffering from PTSD who turns to bank robbery in order to fund an opioid addiction. Apple TV+ recently purchased the distribution rights to the movie for close to $50 million and are now hedging their bets that it becomes a major awards season player.
“Apple hopes that the high-profile acquisition will create awards buzz in an otherwise odd year,” writes Decider. “[The] tech giant plans to submit the film to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and then premiere the drama in early 2021 on Apple TV+.”
The Russos have already claimed that Tom Holland‘s lead performance is worthy of consideration, and if Cherry maximizes the potential of the story, then there’s every chance it could find itself in the running for other major prizes like Best Picture or Best Director, with the Russos looking to emulate the Coens by becoming the second set of siblings to scoop the directorial trophy.
We’ll get a better idea of how Cherry is shaping up whenever the first trailer arrives, which shouldn’t be too far away given that Apple TV+ are planning on releasing it straight to their streaming service early next year to guarantee that it lands right in the middle of the Oscar race.
