Cherry marks the first directorial venture for Joe and Anthony Russo since they brought the MCU's Infinity Saga to a close with Avengers: Endgame, and Variety has now pulled back the curtain on what sounds like a big departure for the filmmakers.
Based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Nico Walker, Cherry follows Tom Holland's title character as he returns from his time as a medic in Iraq suffering from PTSD, and finds himself hooked on opioids to numb the pain. He soon resorts to bank robbery to fund his habit.
Described as "six movies in one," it sounds like this passion project will be more than just a straight-forward drama.
“We do think about it as an epic film, and it is very much a person’s life journey,” said Anthony Russo. “But it does have a little bit of a split personality between being this character study and an epic life cycle.”
“The movie’s broken up into six chapters that reflect those different periods, and each one has a different tone," added Joe. "It’s shot with different lenses, different production design. One’s got magical realism. Another chapter is absurdism. Another is horror…There’s a bit of gonzo in it. It’s raw in its tone. He’s a character in existential crisis.”
Cherry is set for a theatrical run on February 26 before premiering globally on Apple TV+ on March 12. Check out some first-look images below, and let us know what you think.