Avengers: Endgame Directors Want to Build Their Star Wars-Like Franchise

Joe and Anthony Russo think Hollywood needs new stories.

By Russ Burlingame

Joe and Anthony Russo have always said they're open to a Marvel Studios return under the right circumstances -- but in a recent interview, the filmmakers indicated that what they would really like to do is build a new franchise. The Russo brothers -- who have also repeatedly been linked with Star Wars projects -- say they're more interested in building their own version of Star Wars -- something new that can inject some energy into the theatrical experience and give future filmmakers something to build on top of.

Holding up the "Barbenheimer" double-header as evidence that audiences are looking for something new, Joe Russo told GamesRadar that the hopes for their upcoming movies like Extraction 3 and The Gray Man 2 are high. Seemingly, they believe they can generate event movie-level buzz around streaming originals.

"The intention is that we want to build our own Star Wars," Joe Russo said. "For us, it's all about the focus on original storytelling and new ideas. If anything, there's been too much. I mean, I think you could argue we're in a rut of repetitive storytelling and potential franchise abuse. So, at a certain point, I think the audience is craving new ideas and new stories. And that's where all of our focus is going post-Marvel – asking 'what are those new stories?' Barbie and Oppenheimer showed the appetite out there – audiences want something different."

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The Russos cut their teeth on sitcoms like Arrested Development and Community before taking on some of the biggest blockbusters ever made with Marvel. Of course, from the beginning they have had their own distinctive voice. On Community, their "paintball war" episode became an immediate fan-favorite and is regarded as one of the best single episodes of any sitcom in recent memory.

Unlike most publicity interviews, the pair don't have a new movie barrelling down the pipeline in the coming weeks; they spoke with GamesRadar at the Sands: International Film Festival in St Andrews, Scotland. The pair do have a number of exciting projects in various stages of development, though, including sequels and spinoffs to Citadel and modern reinterpretations of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Thomas Crown Affair. 

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