From The FANTASTIC FOUR To Major Deaths - 22 Burning AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Questions Answered By The Russos
Wondering what happens when Star-Lord returns to Earth, whether the Sokovia Accords are still a thing, what Joss Whedon's impact on the movie is and more? The Russos answer our most pressing questions...
The latest trailer for Avengers: Infinity War was released earlier today and to call it mind-blowing would be an understatement, to say the least. To coincide with the debut of that sneak peek, a lengthy interview with directors Joe and Anthony Russo has also popped up online and the filmmakers have shed an awful lot of light on what we should expect from the highly anticipated Marvel Studios movie.
From how it links up to Captain America: Civil War to the role played by executive producer James Gunn and where we find characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Star-Lord, this revealing and in-depth conversation with the Russo Brothers will help bring you up to speed on what to expect. So, to check out all the biggest highlights from this interview, all you need to do is click the buttons below.
NOTE: This interview was conducted on the set of Avengers: Infinity War last year by a number of sites and below you'll find some carefully selected highlights from the massive Q&A. However, if you'd like to read the entire thing, be sure to head on over to Collider to check it out.
Are The Sokovia Accords Still In Effect?
Captain America: Civil War introduced the Sokovia Accords, a United Nations approved act which means they choose when to send Earth's Mightiest Heroes into action. Will Thanos' invasion be enough to make the government see sense? Hopefully, because the Accords will still be in effect when the movie begins. "It’s a direct corollary to the end of Civil War," explains Anthony, "you’re going into this film with the ramifications of that film at the forefront"
Which Comic Books Influenced The Movie?
There are a lot of different comic books revolving around Thanos and his many encounters with The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, so where did the filmmakers start with Avengers: Infinity War?
"Certainly the [Jim] Starlin book was our jumping off point," Joe explains. "It’s a brilliant comic, and the ideas behind it are so large, it’s what pushed us to go for the scale that we’re going for on these movies. But we also draw from … Anth and I love the post modern comics, so we’re also drawing from newer stuff, and we’re kind of combining it all into, again, what’s our favorite stuff and how do we see elements from each helping our story and the story that we want to tell."
Did Joss Whedon's Work Influence The Movie?
Joss Whedon obviously introduced Thanos at the end of The Avengers and set the tone for Earth's Mightiest Heroes with that and Age of Ultron, so surely his work has influenced this movie, right? Not necessarily. "We look at it the way people would look at writers in comic books," Joe points out. "People pick up different runs and they go with it, and if there are things from the mythology that you are inspired by, or you find thematic relevancy you go with that. If there are things in the mythology that you want to see differently, then you explore ways to execute it differently."
"So I think of course there’s a list of movies that have preceded this," the director continues, "but those movies have been directed by a lot of different directors with a lot of different styles and a lot of different things to say. Anth and I have found repeatedly that the best and only way for us to move forward is to receive that information, and keep what we like, and explore what we like, and exploit what we like, and tell the story that we want to tell."
It's easy to see where he's coming from and it definitely sounds like the best approach to a massive superhero ensemble like this.
Have There Been Any Fantastic Four Conversations?
The Disney/Fox deal wasn't even on the horizon when these interviews took place but that didn't stop one plucky journalist from asking about their possible inclusion here. "I’m sure we’ve sat around at dinners, and after a few drinks we’ve all laughed and said “Hey, it’d be great to go after this person or that person,” but we know how the business is structured," Joe says, bringing an end to any sort of speculation before it could even begin out that iconic foursome showing up in this movie.
What Are Iron Man And Spider-Man Up To?
Spider-Man and Iron Man developed quite the friendship in the wall-crawler's solo outing but where do we find those two when this movie begins? "Tony is still in his, you know, he sort of sided with the Accords," Anthony says. "He’s laying out the consequences of that choice and still leading the Avengers who are not on the opposite side of the Accords, and the opposite side of the law at this point. He still has this connection with Spiderman that he’s established in Homecoming."
"And that evolves," the director continues. "And they basically have a unique mentor/mentee relationship that continues to evolve as they move into this film." That was evident from the trailer.
Who Makes Up Iron Man's Avengers At The Start Of The Movie?
The Avengers were left disassembled at the end of Captain America: Civil War, so which heroes now make up Tony Stark's team? After all, most of them are now on the run and Black Panther never officially joined #TeamIronMan. So, has he found some new recruits? Not exactly, according to Anthony during this interview. "The same group that was with him at the end of Civil War."
That means he only has The Vision and War Machine by his side; that's not exactly a big team, is it?
What Has James Gunn's Involvement With The Movie Been?
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn is closely involved with Avengers: Infinity War and obviously very protective of the heroes he brought to the big screen. Anthony points out that pretty much every Marvel movie director has weighed in in some respect when it comes to how these characters should be portrayed but the Russos are ultimately going to do their own thing with them.
"I would say collectively, everyone in the Marvel Universe has been involved in this movie," Anthony notes. "We’re very close with all the directors, we love them all. The Guardians’ two movies existed in the same world, so we had an understanding of how those characters behaved. I think James has functioned the same way that everyone has been functioning. I think it’s a nod to James, the EP credit, that he really helped create those characters."
So, it's definitely their movie.
How Do The Infinity Stones Held By Certain Heroes Come Into Play?
"In a very complicated manner," Joe replies when asked how the likes of Doctor Strange and The Vision holding the Infinity Stones has an impact on how they all ultimately factor into the movie.
"I think that traditionally in movies there’s a MacGuffin, sometimes the MacGuffin is a person, sometimes it’s a thing. I tend to find that it’s much more emotional when a person is involved. So we have quite a few Macguffins in this movie that have different relationships with two different people; Doctor Strange is a bearer of an infinity stone, he has been charged with protecting that infinity stone. So there are a lot of characters that will come into direct conflict with Thanos."
Will Major Characters Die In The Movie?
Theories are running rampant about which characters will die in this movie and Kevin Feige has made it clear that fans should be careful about what they wish for when it comes to big deaths. The Russos wouldn't elaborate on whose lives might be on the line here but Anthony reiterated the Marvel Studios President's comments about the stakes in this movie being higher than ever before.
"We’ll say this: We like mature story telling," he teased. "We like dramatic storytelling. We like intense storytelling. I think we appreciate conflict, and we appreciate stakes. And without stakes, there really isn’t a lot of value to the story. And I think if you look at the Marvel Universe as a whole as a story that’s been told for ten years, you can look at this as the climax. And the stakes will be higher in this movie than they’ve ever been, times ten."
How Have IMAX Cameras Had An Impact On The Movie?
"They’re beautiful cameras, the chip is unbelievable, it’s stunning," says Joe Russo. "We have a lot of characters who are tall, unnaturally tall. So it really helps with the frame, because that IMAX aspect ratio works for those types of characters, and the landscapes are stunning. There are some really exotic landscapes in the film, and to be able to put those on an IMAX screen, it’s an incredible tool to have as a filmmaker to be able to exploit that scale of aspect ratio."
Needless to say, Avengers: Infinity War is clearly going to be one of those blockbusters which it's worth seeing on an IMAX screen because it's clearly going to be one to remember in terms of visuals.
When Does The Movie Take Place In The MCU's Timeline?
The Marvel Cinematic Universe's timeline is fluid and that makes it hard to figure out when and where to place certain movies. So, just how much time has passed since the events of Captain America: Civil War? "We always do everything based on when the last movie came out," Anthony says before Joe pipes in and clarifies things by stating, "It’ll be roughly two years."
Will We See What The Characters Have Been Doing Since Civil War?
With a two year gap between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, it's obvious that an awful lot has been going on with these characters so will we find out what exactly that all is?
"We always have a storytelling philosophy where we want to keep any big moments of the characters’ lives on camera, so we structure the narrative in a way where you know it’s not like “Oh we all missed some seismic events that happened between movies," Anthony reveals. "So yeah, we structure and we try to keep things very focused. So while they have been sort evolving and certainly they’ve made progression in that time between the films, that sort of major-major narrative events and major character moments for them all sort of wait for them in this film."
No flashbacks then...
Is There A Shift In Style Between Infinity War And Avengers 4?
Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 are not going to necessarily be one big movie, something made clear by Joe when he points out that they're making a concerted effort to ensure that each of these is very different to avoid moviegoers feeling like they're seeing something too repetitive.
"This kind of serialized storytelling, outside of the Bond franchise or Harry Potter, which was a distinctive story that was told, Harry Potter was a distinctive story that was told over that seven movies, you have to keep evolving. So for us, we absolutely are very, very particular about who carried the ball on this movie, and who will carry it on [the next] movie. Because each character represents a different theme, each character has different wants, and that can shape and color and re-tone an entire film depending on who you’re following. Especially in stories this big."
What Genre Is Avengers: Infinity War?
Both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War were two very different movies in terms of what genre they fit into so what does that mean for Avengers: Infinity War?
"I think it’s a very unique film," Anthony explains. "I don’t think there are a lot of movies that have the kind of tone that this movie has, because it’s a combination of franchises and I don’t think we’ve ever seen that before on this scale. So I think it’s got a really unique tone to it, and I think it’s impulsive, I would say it’s an adventure film, but it has elements of we were inspired by 90s crime films when we were working on the script. It’s got an energy to it, a bit of a smash and grab energy."
Joe went on to compare it to a heist movie and the likes of Two Days in the Valley and Out of Sight have reportedly inspired their work here so look to those for clues as to how this will play out.
Did They Have To Fight For Any Characters To Be Included?
Avengers: Infinity War will be adding plenty of new characters as well as bringing back a lot of fan-favourites but did the Russos have to fight for anyone, in particular, to be included? After all, it sounds like having Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War was something of an uphill struggle for them.
"Everybody," Anthony states. "Every character. All the deals are hard, everybody’s expensive. It’s very complicated to put together a movie of this scale. Sometimes it’s easier to just say maybe we should just not do it with these guys." Joe adds: "These movies are a producing wonder, there are very few producing entities and producers like Kevin Feige, who can pull together something like this."
Which Character Are They Most Excited For Fans To See?
The Russos get to play with a lot of different characters in Avengers: Infinity War so it's hardly a surprise that they struggled to answer when asked who if they have a favourite! Joe, however, did point to Thor being one to watch. "I think between Ragnarok and this film, I think Thor has a really compelling arc. I think he’s a pretty fascinating character and I think he’s going to jump to the forefront of people’s minds as a pivotal marvel character after Ragnarok." That part is definitely true.
Is Star-Lord Coming Back To Earth?
Star-Lord's return to Earth is a big deal so are we really going to see it here as opposed to Vol. 3? "I mean there are a lot of characters in the film and there are a lot of people dealing with a lot of issues and a lot of moments, and you look to do the best that you can with each of those characters in the storytelling," Joe points out. "We won’t get into whether Quill returns to Earth or not, but certainly Earth is a pivotal player as is Space. So there’s a lot of story to be told in this one."
How Significant Will Wakanda Be To Proceedings?
Kevin Feige has confirmed that the final battle takes place in Wakanda but Joe elaborates on that by explaining why the fictional African nation is a bit part of things. "It’s a very special place. It’s a very safe place. And it’s a very well fortified place. And T’Challa leads an army. So, I think that Wakanda is a logical place for anyone seeking refuge in the movie. It has an important role in the movie."
How Have The Different Tones Of The Characters Been Combined?
One of the biggest challenges for the Russos going into this movie is finding a way to balance the very different tones that each of these characters bring form their respective movies. After all, Spider-Man wouldn't fit into Captain America: Civil War and someone like Black Widow wouldn't mix well with the Guardians of the Galaxy! So, how did the filmmakers go about finding the right balance?
"Taika [Waititi] has a new approach to Thor, as you’ve seen in the trailer," Joe says (bear in mind that Thor: Ragnarok hadn't been released when these interviews took place last year). "So all that energy is combined. Specific to the Guardians, we have to find a way to bring those tones and honor them, but also make them work with what we’re doing with the movie. Again, I think the way that we find the best way to do that is to filter these things through our very personal expression of them as characters, it’s not dissimilar to what we did with Captain America Winter Soldier, there is a movement of the characters towards a more “Russo brothers” execution."
What Will Doctor Strange's Role Be In The Movie?
The new trailer for Avengers: Infinity War shows a fair bit of Doctor Strange in action, and it definitely sounds like he's going to be an important part of this battle against the Mad Titan. "Dr. Strange, like a lot of the other characters, will integrate his universe into this film," Joe teases. "And he will have a very personal stake in it because he’s a bearer of an Infinity Stone. So clearly, Thanos is coming for the Stones, he’s gonna run into Doctor Strange."
Are The Heroes Scared Of Thanos?
When a journalist pointed out that the heroes all seem pretty scared of Thanos by the time the Wakandan battle rolls around without having crossed paths with him, Anthony explains that's because they're constantly trying to catch up with him and are well are of his dastardly intentions.
"Well this movie is sort of cannibalized by Thanos’ decision, and an opportunity for him to make a very aggressive move for the stones," Anthony says in regards to the villain's motivations. "More so than he has at any point in the past, a more effective move for the stones than he has in the past. So when Thanos decides to do it, he really goes for it. And he’s kind of one step ahead of our heroes through the movie. And he puts them through a lot of pain in the process of that happening."
"If you took Darth Vader and you multiply him times 10," adds Joe, "Our job with Thanos is to make him the preeminent villain in the Marvel Universe. That is his role in the comics. That’s his role in these movies. And in order to be a preeminent villain you have to do some pretty bad things."
Is This Really The Culmination Of The MCU?
We've been hearing an awful lot about Avengers: Infinity War being the "culmination" of this phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but is it really going to serve as the end of what we've come to know? "If you were to think of the Marvel Universe over the last ten years as a book, this is the ending of the book," Joe confirms when asked exactly that. "And then there may be new books written, but this is certainly the ending of this book."
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