Brothers Anthony and Joe Russo are officially taking over the reins from director Joss Whedon and will be helming "Avengers: Infinity War" parts 1 and 2.
Even back in November 2014, Deadline already reported on the possibility of the Russo brothers directing the two-volume "Avengers" film, following Whedon's statement that "Avengers: Age of Ultron" would be his last job for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Badass Digest now reports that the deal has been sealed.
When interviewed by Empire Magazine earlier, Whedon stated, "I couldn't imagine doing this again. So it's very doubtful that I would take on the two-part 'Infinity War' movie that would eat up the next four years of my life."
The Russo brothers already did one film for the MCU — last year's critically acclaimed "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." They are now entering production on its follow-up, "Captain America: Civil War," which is already being tossed in by fans as an "Avengers 2.5" project due to the inclusion of so many superheroes such as Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Black Panther.
After "Civil War," the directors are then expected to tackle "Avengers: Infinity War" parts 1 and 2 by 2016 to 2017. The films will be shot back-to-back.
According to Badass Digest, Marvel Studios execs are currently in negotiation with writers Stephen McFreely and Christopher Markus. The duo were responsible for penning all three "Captain America" films as well as contributing to both "Thor: The Dark World" and the "Agent Carter" series. It would be a good choice because the directors would have a strong grasp of the writers' style after working on two films together prior to tackling the "Avengers" property.
Beyond the MCU, the Russo brothers are also set to direct an all-male "Ghostbusters" film for Sony, a film meant to go side-by-side with Paul Feig's all-female "Ghostbusters" film that will hit theaters in 2016.
"Captain America: Civil War" is set for a May 6, 2016 release, while "Avengers: Infinity War" parts 1 and 2 will hit theaters in 2018 and 2019.
