Arguably the two biggest film franchises in the entertainment world are the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars movies, both of which are owned and run by Disney. The MCU as we know it is coming to an end with Avengers 4, with Joe and Anthony Russo brothers wrapping up a decade's worth of movies, and likely ending their tenure with Marvel in the process.
With The Russo Brothers possibly freeing up their schedule, all eyes on what the acclaimed filmmakers might work on next. The brothers recently hosted a Q&A following a screening of Avengers: Infinity War, fielding all sorts of questions from the audience. One fan asked if they'd be interested in directing a Star Wars movie one day, and Joe Russo said the following:
We grew up on Star Wars like everyone else did. I went to the theater when I was 11 years old to see Empire Strikes Back and sat in the theater from 11:30 in the morning until 10:00 at night and watched it back to back to back. So it was a huge influence on us growing up. Of course we'd love to work, at some point, in the Star Wars universe, but right now our heads are in the middle of another movie.
Well, this is exciting. While there are no concrete plans for the Russo Brothers' journey into the galaxy far, far away, they certainly seem open to working on such a project sometime in the future. And given their work on four massive Marvel installments, there's clearly got a good relationship with the House of Mouse.
Joe Russo's comments from Collider's Infinity War Q&A (courtesy of Comic Book) will no doubt excite the many moviegoers who are fans of both Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Russo Brothers have seemingly done the impossible with blockbusters like Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, balancing a massive cast of iconic heroes, while also providing a character-driven story with emotional stakes.
Both the MCU and Star Wars franchises are in transitional periods, with the future unclear to the general public. Marvel Studios has been keeping its cards close to the chest, as news of Marvel's Phase Four as the potential to spoil the events of Avengers 4. As such, it's unclear how far ahead things are currently planned with the behemoth shared universe.
Star Wars has become similarly mysterious. J.J. Abrams' Episode IX will complete the current trilogy and Skywalker Saga forever, but the plans after that are unclear. Standalone films may or may not be cancelled after the box office disappointment of Solo: A Star Wars Story, while Rian Johnson's plans for his own trilogy are unclear. It seems like a great time to bring the Russo Brothers on for a project, if the timing works out for both properties.
Avengers 4 will arrive in theaters on May 3rd, 2019, while Episode IX will hit theaters December 20th, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
