Fans have been very excited about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to the news that Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the franchise and that Chris Evans may be joining him. However, what may be even more important news is the fact that Joe and Anthony Russo will also be back, directing the two biggest upcoming Marvel movies on the schedule, Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars.
The Russo Brothers had indicated they were done with their Marvel tenure following Endgame (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription), so it was a big surprise to hear they were coming back. Speaking with Empire, The Russos confirms they were quite serious that they were done, but they never stopped talking to Marvel Studios producers Kevin Feige and Louis D'Esposito, and eventually, the team found an idea that they were too excited by to not be involved with. Anthony Russo explained…
Endgame was the end, and it took a little time for us to begin to think about it as something other than an end. We’re very close with Kevin and Lou [D’Esposito, Marvel Studios’ Co-President] and the entire Marvel team and we’ve had conversations through the years. We’ve talked about a lot of ideas. … Really what happened was, we ended up stumbling upon an idea that activated all of us. You couldn’t see it coming until it came, and once it came it was like, ‘Well, that’s a story we need to tell.’
That idea, whatever it is, came from Steven McFeely, who alongside Christopher Markus, wrote several Marvel films including the last two Avengers projects for the Russos. Having said that, it doesn’t mean that McFeely was instantly on board writing the film. Joe Russo says that when it was first suggested thatMcFeeley could write the film, the writer absolutely shut down the idea, using rather definitive language. Russo said…
There were ideas that we were trying to wrap our heads around that preceded this one, and we just never found the story. I remember calling Steve and said, ‘Hey, crazy idea. What do you think if we all go back and do Secret Wars?’ You were like, ‘Fuck no. Absolutely not.’ And then you hung up. And the next morning at 7:30 you called and were like, ‘Alright, I have an idea.’
Part of the reason that Steven McFeely might not have been too excited about writing the new films is that he’s doing so alone. Christopher Markus won’t be co-writing these films with him. Still, having most of the team back together feels right, a little like the Avengers reuniting.
It's anybody's guess just what the idea being suggested is. What we know about Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars is pretty limited right now. If it was enough to get everybody excited to return, then it might really be something special.
