The MCU is old hat for directors Joe and Anthony Russo these days. They've been directing films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since they signed on for Captain America: The Winter Soldier and their next flick, Avengers: Infinity War, is coming up in May. Outside of Marvel, they haven't gotten their hands on a Star Wars film yet, but they did see Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and like everyone else who saw the movie, both Joe and Anthony Russo have thoughts.
First and foremost, Joe and Anthony Russo seemed to believe Rian Johnson was a great fit for Star Wars Episode VIII, telling the Happy Sad Confused podcast they even emailed Disney when they found out the news. Joe Russo explained that he was a fan of the film, noting,
He took a lot of risks with the film. It's a very smart film with great transitions, and shot beautifully. So we were very excited.
Fans or no, there have been myriad opinions about Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It's a topic that has only begun to die down about six weeks into the movie's theatrical release, and Anthony Russo notes that he feels people may have different expectations and opinions about the movie, depending on their age. He shared an anecdote about his own daughter, noting,
It depends, though, on your age too. I watched the movie with my 11-year-old daughter who is very into serialized storytelling and novels primarily, but she loves the bigger story. And she was just thrilled throughout the movie just connecting, making connections to the larger Star Wars universe. And just to sit next to her and see that sense of discovery and excitement in her was, you know, an amazing experience.
Joe also elaborated, noting he feels there is "a difference between new fans and old fans" with the film, which is why the movie has been taken in so many different ways, depending on its audience. But overall, the two directors really seem to have enjoyed Star Wars: The Last Jedi. And I'm assuming they are hoping that Avengers: Infinity War fares a little better with the average audience member once it hits theaters in just a few short months.
Speaking of what's next for Anthony and Joe Russo, the two men still have work on Avengers 4 to complete, noting they will be working on that flick all the way through 2019. Althought the directors have previously spoken out about being interested in directing something for the Star Wars side of the company, if Disney has the two men in mind for a later Star Wars story, it's going to be a while before we hear about it.
Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4. To find out what all we know about the movie, take a look at our full guide.
