Joe and Anthony Russo have been carving out a cinematic lane for themselves outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the past few years. However, it was confirmed earlier this year that the Russos would return to the superhero fold to direct the next two Avengers films. Filming has yet to commence but, in the interim, the directors reunited with Robert Downey Jr. – who will play the villain of their upcoming Marvel movies – as well as Thanos actor Josh Brolin. There’s a sweet photo of the meet-up, but it’s the caption that’s truly top-notch.
RDJ is headlining a production of McNeal at the Lincoln Center Theater. The Russos checked out the show sometime this past weekend alongside the aforementioned Sicario star as well as veteran writer/director Donald Mustard. The Gray Man filmmakers shared the photo from the reunion to their Instagram and, based on the snapshot all five men looked happy to be in each other's company. Check it out in the pic – which Downey also shared to his IG story – and take a look at the pitch-perfect caption:
What’s wild is that I would actually love to see a scenario in which Doctor Doom and Thanos actually walk into Lincoln Center Theater in New York. I’d imagine that it would probably be quite strange to see a large, purple alien hanging out with a cloaked figure wearing a metal mask. I honestly can’t tell if I’m just going too far thinking about all of this, or if I’m actually crafting what could be an amazing episode of Marvel’s What If…? But I digress.
In all seriousness, though, it’s sweet that the Russos had the opportunity to see their friend and colleague perform on stage alongside Josh Brolin. The cast and crew of the MCU have always seemed close, maintaining contact even when they’re not collaborating on superhero blockbusters. For instance, the OG Avengers stars have a group chat (through which they’ve discussed Chris Evans’ Sexiest Man Alive title and more). So, considering how close everyone seems to be it’s not surprising at all that this latest encounter at LCT happened.
One would imagine that the Citadel EPs are relishing this time, as they’re about to get very busy. For starters, the two are in the early days of promoting their 2025 movie release – Netflix’s sci-fi flick The Electric State. The post-apocalyptic, action/adventure flick stars Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Giancarlo Esposito and more. And, following that press tour, of course, the two brothers will likely get knee deep into their MCU obligations.
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The Russos are directing Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, which are set to be released in 2026 and 2027, respectively. Plot details are being kept under wraps at this point but, based on the rumors and reports surrounding the two event films, these two installments could be monumental for the MCU narrative-wise just as the brothers’ last two Marvel flicks – Infinity War and Endgame. Given that Robert Downey Jr. is playing Doctor Doom in those films, the two filmmakers are going to be spending a lot of time with the Oscar winner moving forward.
It’s unclear exactly when the trio and their collaborators will kick off production on the two ambitious films. But, for now, I’m just loving the fact that RDJ, the Russos and Josh Brolin were able to meet up under less formal circumstances. (I’ll also continue to ponder how an outing at the LCT would play out for Doom and Thanos.)
You can see the group’s work in the MCU by streaming the Marvel movies in order using a Disney+ subscription.
