Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars directors Anthony Russo revealed that he wants to refocus the Marvel Cinematic Universe and bring back a “focused narrative.”
Speaking with The Times (UK), Anthony first shared how much the duo love the comic book movie genre, “Well, we love the genre. Some people wrote it off as a less comprehensive form of storytelling that’s more for children. But we think of it as relevant for adults, if it is treated with maturity and complexity. That’s really all it is — a commitment to storytelling.”
He then detailed how that commitment to storytelling can be a been a struggle because there are so many movies and TV shows, “Yes, the MCU has got quite large, that’s for sure. I mean, frankly, we struggle with that same issue.”
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From there, he shared one of the reasons why he and his brother Joe decided to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “But part of the reason Joe and I decided to go back is exactly what you’re talking about. There needs to be more of a central narrative. That was something we were very specific about when we worked with Marvel [before]. We would like to bring the focused narrative back.”
As for what that focused narrative might be about, actor Chris Pratt, who played Star-Lord, hinted at one of the themes they might explore, “They know that it’s the mundane, human brokenness of characters that drives stories and makes the Avengers great. They have this ability to find the humanity.”
Regarding Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars’ plot, Joe Russo detailed that the films are going to be radical. When asked by The Hollywood Reporter if he and his brother plan to bring in new faces for the films, he said, “hat would probably be giving too much away. I think we’re always looking for new faces because there is always new stories to tell. I think these movies are going to be a surprise to people.”
“We found a way in to the story that is very exciting to us, but we think very radical,” he continued. “And I think it’s going to challenge audiences.”
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He shared more details about the film with Deadline revealing it will all be shot in London and “we’re shooting them fairly back-to-back.”
Speaking to the story, he said, “We found a way in to the story that we think is going to be challenging for audiences, challenging for us to execute. And it’s really excited to us.”
When asked if any X-Men might show, up he responded, “Who knows? I don’t know. I don’t know who we’re going to see. I still don’t know.”
His brother Anthony Russo also chimed in, “If you close your eyes and use your imagination you can see anyone you want.”
Joe Russo eventually concluded, “Anyone in the Marvel bag could show up in this movie.”
When Robert Downey Jr. was announced to play Dr. Doom back at San Diego Comic-Con, the brothers detailed that their plan was to adapt “the biggest story Marvel Comics ever told” in Secret Wars.
The original Secret Wars story was written by Jim Shooter with art by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton and was published back in 1984. It saw an entity known as the Beyonder create Battleworld and transport all of the villains and heroes to it and have them fight against each other against their will.
It eventually saw Doctor Doom steal the power of the Beyonder. However, the Beyonder is able to reclaim his power after Doom begins to lose control of it.
What do you make of the Russos committing to a return of a “focused narrative” to the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
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