The first full trailer for Avengers: Doomsday is here, and at the risk of sounding alarmist, I'm worried. While I'm excited for the upcoming Marvel movie and know it's going to make a big splash with audiences, I can't help but be concerned about the X-Men and their place in the story.

Kevin Feige already confirmed the upcoming movie is heavily influenced by two prominent comic book storylines, but I have a feeling a third is in play. Is it possible this movie is also influenced by Avengers vs. X-Men, and we're going to see an adaptation of that play out in the movie?

Why I Think Avengers: Doomsday May Be Loosely Adapting Avengers Vs. X-Men

If you watch the Avengers: Doomsday trailer clearly, one thing stands out above all else. The Avengers and the X-Men are never seen fighting alongside each other or meeting, but we see them fighting other Avengers. There's a quick shot of Gambit fighting Shang-Chi, and it also seems Mystique transforms into Yelena Belova in the midst of a battle.

It has me wondering if the X-Men are allied with Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, and he's appealing to a cause that benefits both. Note that we see Magneto and Professor X united as equals at a table, rather than at odds. Also, Gambit and Mystique are usually on opposing sides in the comics, so why would they both be fighting the Avengers?

The Avengers vs. X-Men arc is more than just the name implies, of course, as you'd also need a character who can harness the Phoenix Force to complete that. Oh wait, isn't Sadie Sink heavily rumored to be playing Jean Grey in the MCU? You know, the same Grey who has harnessed the Phoenix Force before?

The comics had Hope Summers be the conduit to the power, but that doesn't mean the Russos and Marvel Studios couldn't take some creative liberties. To me, it feels like the table is set for Avengers: Doomsday to loosely adapt Avengers vs. X-Men, and factor in Doctor Doom to help get his story off the ground. Is it possible these mutants, and ones we haven't seen yet, are the "bad guys" in this?

I Would Sooner See That Story Told In A Separate Film, Not As The B-Plot To Service Doomsday

I would love to see Avengers vs. X-Men adapted in the MCU, but not like this. The story of the mutants being torn between saving their species and fighting The Avengers is fantastic and worthy of its own movie. I'd rather see that fleshed out in a meaningful way, rather than pared down just to fill time for Avengers: Doomsday to cross the finish line.

To be clear, I have no idea whether Avengers vs. X-Men is going to be adapted at all in Avengers: Doomsday. Regardless, I still have questions about the X-Men's involvement in the MCU overall, and how they factor into this story.

What I will say is that I've been waiting too long to see the modern iterations of the Mutants added to the MCU, and I would hate to have one of its better stories used as a B-plot when there are plenty of other ways to handle a Doctor Doom story. Unfortunately, it's all cut and in the can now, so I guess I'll just have to wait and see alongside others what this story will be about.

Avengers: Doomsday is in theaters on December 18th. I'm excited for its release for now, and hoping we get more information on what's going on with the mutants closer to its release date.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been going strong for nearly two decades, with new titles arriving in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. While there are plenty of upcoming Marvel movies to look forward to, fans are most hyped for The Russo Brothers' Avengers: Doomsday. And that pair of acclaimed directors recently shared a message to fans after Doomsday's trailer quickly broke records online.

What we know about Avengers: Doomsday has been limited, with fan theories and rumors circulating for months. So it shouldn't be surprising that the movie's first full trailer essentially broke the internet when it arrived earlier this week. It's already gotten millions of views and the Russos took to Instagram to thank the fandom for their support. Their message reads:

500 million is a truly wild sum of views, and is especially remarkable when you consider that Doomsday got there in just 24 hours. While there has been some concern over superhero fatigue after box office bombs like The Marvels, it's clear that folks are still invested in big crossover movies like The Avengers. We'll just have to see how it performs at the box office; Endgame became the highest grossing movie of all time upon its release. For now, the trailer is Disney's highest watched trailer of all time.

Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order are super curious about what's coming in Avengers: Doomsday, so the trailer offered at least a taste of what the Russos have up their sleeves. That includes the Avengers crossing over with the OG stars of the X-Men movies, and fighting before presumably uniting against Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.

As a reminder, you can check out the trailer in its entirety below:

While I wasn't lucky enough to see the first Avengers: Doomsday footage at CinemaCon, it's thrilling that this full trailer has arrived. But as exciting as the action we're shown is, there are still countless questions about the movie's story. Luckily the promotional campaign has begun, so hopefully we'll be treated to more information and content as the project gets closer to its release this winter.

While Doomsday's trailer made history for its record-breaking performance, there is another Marvel movie that it beat. Namely the Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer, which got 718.6 million views within 24 hours. Clearly there's a ton of excitement about the next two super hero movies coming from the MCU.

It was thrilling to finally see the Doomsday cast interact, and it should be fascinating to see how the interpersonal dynamics of the ensemble play out on the big screen.

Luckily the wait is nearly, over Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list. But first up is Brand New Day, which will arrive July 31st. We'll just have to see if that movie does any set-up for the forthcoming crossover film.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a well-oiled machine that constantly treats fans to new content in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. All eyes are on the upcoming Marvel movies, especially Avengers: Doomsday and its sequel Secret Wars. Moviegoers are hyped about The Russo Brothers returning to the MCU for those titles, but they just keep getting asked if they'll do more Marvel movies afterward.

Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know that The Russo Brothers are behind some of the best titles in the entire shared universe. That includes Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Civil War, and of course Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, with the latter becoming the highest grossing movie of all time. While appearing at SXSW in London (via Deadline) Anthony Russo responded to questions about their potential Marvel future, saying:

This makes a ton of sense. Endgame's ending wrapped up a number of stories, including Cap's happy ending and the death of both Iron Man and Black Widow. So no one would have blamed The Russos for retiring from Marvel forever. Luckily for fans, they ended up being convinced to return for the next two Avengers movies.

Anthony Russo went on to share how they're approaching Doomsday and Secret Wars, which will tell another full storyline. In his words:

While The Russo Brothers aren't setting any rules about their involvement in the MCU moving forward, it sounds like they're approaching their third and fourth Avengers movie as one narrative. Only time will tell if they're convinced to do more Marvel projects after Doomsday and Secret Wars are both released.

What we know about Avengers: Doomsday is limited, but that'll change when it hits theaters hits coming December. Moviegoers are largely in the dark about its contents, but The Russo Brothers have earned good will among among fans that's helping to buoy excitement. Hopefully we are treated to more footage (and a full trailer) sooner rather than later.

Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters on December 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list. As for Secret Wars, it is set to follow suit on December 17th, 2027. Hopefully they won't mark The Russos' last time directing a Marvel movie.

Tom Holland has been open about how much Robert Downey Jr. meant to his early Marvel run, and the whole thing still has a very sweet mentor-student glow. Holland entered the MCU as Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War, and Downey’s Tony Stark was there both in the movie and behind the scenes, helping him find his footing.

In an Instagram video posted by Marvel, Joe and Anthony Russo talked about filming Holland’s MCU introduction and explained that Downey’s guidance shaped the scene in real time. Joe Russo said:

According to The Russos, one of the greatest things a filmmaker can do for an actor is put them in a scene with Robert Downey Jr.. And hey, it seems to have paid off for Holland, who is now a global superstar looking to headline two major summer tentpole films on the 2026 movie calendar.

Tom Holland Wants To Pay That Forward

That lines up beautifully with Holland’s own recent comments about the future of Spider-Man. In a statement, Holland said that whenever Marvel brings in the next web-slinger, whether that is Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Woman or someone else, he would love to be part of setting up that next chapter.

His reasoning was simple and very full-circle. In recent viral comments, Holland said that if he could do for another actor what Downey did for him, he would be “so content swinging off into the sunset.”

That is the kind of comment that is both adorable and slightly alarming for fans. On the one hand, it is lovely to hear Holland thinking about mentorship rather than just franchise ownership. On the other hand, whenever an actor in new superhero movies starts talking about sunsets, Marvel fans start bracing for some emotional damage.

But it makes sense. Holland’s first MCU scenes worked partly because Peter Parker felt overwhelmed in the best possible way. He was a kid from Queens, suddenly standing across from Tony Stark/Iron Man, and the nervous energy did not feel fake. Downey could play confidence in his sleep, but he also knew how to make room for Holland’s jittery charm. Their dynamic became the backbone of the MCU’s Spider-Man story, from Homecoming through the heartbreak of Avengers: Endgame.

The Russos Saw The Same Thing

The Russo Brothers’ comments help explain why that introduction landed so well. Putting a new actor opposite Downey was not just a casting flex. It was a way of giving Holland a scene partner who could set the pace, keep the scene alive and help define the character’s place in the larger MCU.

That matters because Spider-Man was entering a universe that was already crowded with stars, lore and audience expectations. Holland had to feel new without feeling disconnected, and Downey’s presence gave him an immediate anchor. Tony Stark was the MCU’s biggest personality at the time, so if he took Peter seriously, audiences were invited to do the same.

It also helped that the relationship echoed the characters. Tony became a mentor to Peter on screen, while Downey seems to have done something similar for Holland off-screen. Sometimes the movie machine gets lucky, and the behind-the-scenes chemistry hums at the same frequency as the story.

Spider-Man’s Future Is Starting To Look Generational

That is why Holland’s comments about a future Spider-Man hit harder than a normal franchise tease. The MCU has been around long enough that its young heroes are becoming veterans, and older heroes, like Ant-Man, are the old guard and mentors. Holland was once the new kid being welcomed into the clubhouse. Now, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day on the way, he is talking about helping whoever comes next.

That could mean Miles Morales. It could mean Spider-Gwen. It could mean another Spider-person entirely. Marvel has not laid out those plans yet, but the animated Spider-Verse movies and the television hit Spider-Noir have already proved there is a huge appetite for more than one web-slinger.

For now, Holland is still Peter Parker, and fans are waiting to see what Brand New Day does with him after the lonely ending of No Way Home. But between Holland’s comments and the Russos’ praise for Downey, one thing feels clear: RDJ’s influence on the MCU did not end with Tony Stark’s sacrifice.

And hey, we will get to see RDJ back in the MCU, albeit in a very different kind of mask, when he appears as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday on Dec. 18. Holland’s Spidey has not been confirmed for the movie, but with the Russo brothers back behind the camera, one can only hope for that kind of full-circle reunion.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a well-oiled machine at this point, consistently releasing new content in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Arguably the most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movie is Avengers: Doomsday, which will be the shared universe's next big crossover event. The Russo Brothers are once again behind the camera for that blockbuster, but they're also re-releasing Endgame in theaters. And the filmmakers shared why its "important" for fans to re-watch that title on the big screen.

What we know about Avengers: Doomsday has been limited, but anticipation is still at a fever pitch. There are countless rumors about what will go down in that movie, especially since the Doomsday cast announcement confirmed entire teams of heroes will appear. While appearing at the Sands Film Festival in St Andrews, Scotland (via Deadline), Joe Russo revealed why fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order should see Endgame when its back in theaters. In his words:

Well, I'm intrigued. It sounds like we're getting an extended cut of Avengers: Endgame, one that will include brand new footage of some characters that are set to appear in Doomsday. I'm super curious about what this new content might be; are we going to see the OG stars of the X-Men movies post-blip, or perhaps the Fantastic Four? Only time will tell, but I assume hardcore fans will be lining up at the theater to see this new footage.

When it was released Avengers: Endgame became the highest grossing movie of all time. It was eventually dethroned when Avatar was re-released, but perhaps its return to theaters might see it bump James Cameron's movie back down. Later in his same conversation, Russo spoke more about why Endgame is going to be back with new footage, saying:

I am definitely interested in what The Russo Brothers are bringing to the table, and how Endgame will end up connecting with Doomsday. Years of movies and TV shows have dropped since the 2019 blockbuster hit theaters. And since we're deep into the Multiverse Saga, there's no telling what twist and turns are coming our way with the next Avengers flick.

As previously mentioned, there are countless rumors and theories about what's coming with Doomsday. And while fans were treated to a few short teasers, we're definitely hoping for a full trailer soon.

Avengers: Endgame is currently expected to return to theaters on September 25th. As for Doomsday, that will be released December 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list.

Over a decade after Sylvester Stallone fan-cast Ryan Gosling as a young version of his iconic action hero John Rambo, a more youthful version of the character is heading to the big screen. Reports on the prequel project first made waves in August, but now all parties have officially signed off on John Rambo with some huge names behind the scenes, and a director that I couldn't be more confident in.

Let's break down some of the biggest confirmations involved with what could potentially kick off a new era of Rambo action.

John Rambo Will Be Played By Noah Centineo

While actors can often drop out of high-profile projects between the first rumors and the official reveal, John Rambo is indeed sticking with Netflix star Noah Centineo to portray the hardcore soldier. He's reportedly in final negotiations.

I'd say The Recruit is the best example of the actor's work so far in relation to what he'll be doing for this new movie, which will likely drop well after the 2026 movie releases have dried up. But he was recently confirmed as part of the cast of the new Street Fighter movie as Ken, so that will bring him even more into the action-movie fold, further away from the To All The Boys franchise.

John Rambo Will Be Directed By Sisu Helmer Jalmari Helander

Anyone who hasn't yet watched the top-tier 2023 action movie Sisu should reverse that wrong as soon as you're done reading this story. It's an incredible movie that never loses sight of its genre, and the upcoming sequel is somehow even better. Check out that trailer below.

I'd make watching a Jalmari Helander-directed Charmin commercial a bigger priority than feeding myself if it existed, so the fact that he's making a Rambo movie is enough to cause me to break my neck trying to backflip in glee. And that wouldn't help anyone, so I'm just going to stay sitting here vibrating with glee instead.

The Russo Brothers' AGBO Is Now On Board

Anthony and Joe Russo are currently working on what will become some of the biggest movies of all time, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, and both of those will likely be viewed as amazing action movies. So I love that they're also getting into the mix with John Rambo, even if they won't be as hands-on as they would if they were doing the directing. Maybe we'll see some MCU vets joining this prequel's cast.

AGBO will be partnering with Lionsgate, which only recently acquired the rights to the franchise, and Millennium Media for the upcoming movie.

Rory Haines And Sohrab Noshirvani Are Writing The Screenplay

The screenwriting duo of Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani previously created the acclaimed UK drama Informer, and also co-wrote the screenplays for Kevin Macdonald's 2021 legal thriller The Mauritanian, and the maligned DC blockbuster Black Adam. Their previous action thriller script Fairytale in New York was set to be directed by the aforementioned Jalmari Helander, with Ke Huy Quan starring, though it seems likely that all things Rambo will usurp those plans.

For now, there's no specific timeline for when fans can expect to see John Rambo, but production is set to begin in January 2026.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for constantly expanding, thanks to projects hitting theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movie is definitely Avengers: Doomsday, especially since The Russo Brothers are back behind the camera. The filmmakers recently posted a cryptic photo from the set, and fans are having big reactions because it's almost identical to the tease for Endgame. Let's break it down.

What we know about Avengers: Doomsday is limited, and fans who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order are having a serious case of deja vu right now. Namely because of the filmmakers' cryptic post on Instagram, which seriously resembled a set photo they shared years ago. You can check out the new photo below:

How delightfully cryptic. Moviegoers out there are collectively squinting to see what clues about Doomsday can be gleaned from this photo. And in it we see the shape of an A and the shape of an X, possibly hinting at the long-awaited crossover of The Avengers and the X-Men.

Fans will recall that a similar post was shared by The Russo Brothers years ago. In fact, the comments section is filled with moviegoers clocking this fact. Some responses read:

• NOT THIS AGAIN 😫 - palomaordaz
• Cooked again like 2019 👾🔥 - sarthakk.fr_
• Is that Tobey Maguire???????? - thecinematicuniverse
• GUY'S REMEMBER THEY DID THE SAME THING WITH ENDGAME BTW🤓🤓 - itzstark_am
• Let the Marvel conspiracy theories begin - domhecht

For those who don't remember, the previous post by The Russo Brothers back in 2018. Another black and white cryptic set photo was shared, which fans also dissected for clues about Endgame. You can check out the OG post below:

Fans surmised that this set photo actually spelled the world Endgame, which as we know was the title of their last Avengers movie. So what are they teasing with the more recent Doomsday set photo? As previously mentioned, some folks think all that the shape of the A and various X's mean that Earth's Mightiest Heroes will be coming to blows with the cast of the X-Men movies. We'll just have to wait for concrete information as the blockbuster slowly inches closer to its December 2026 release.

There are countless questions about the next Avengers flick, especially after Doomsday's cast announcement confirmed that entire teams of heroes will be colliding. The specifics of how they'll interact remains to be seen, but The Russo Brothers have proven their ability to balance a giant ensemble cast.

All will be revealed when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18th of next year as part of the 2026 movie release list. Hopefully the Russo Brothers' new post is decoded sooner rather than later.

The 2025 movie schedule is rolling right along, and with it we’ve seen the ever-increasing number of Marvel movies in order continue to do the same. While The Fantastic Four: First Steps was pretty successful at rounding out this year’s big-screen MCU blockbusters, there are still numerous upcoming superhero movies where our favorites will return. With that, it’s hard not to think about those who portrayed past heroes and villains, like Josh Brolin. He’s now opened up about whether or not he’d like to return as Thanos or Cable, and had a very thoughtful position on the matter.

What Did Josh Brolin Say About Playing Thanos Or Cable Again?

There are several actors who have played more than one MCU role in the Marvel multiverse, and we can count Weapons star Josh Brolin among that number. The actor helped make The Mad Titan a force to be reckoned with across several films in the Infinity Saga, and also appeared as the futuristic, cybernetic revenge-seeking soldier Cable in 2018’s Deadpool 2.

We are currently a little over a year away from another major Marvel team-up movie, as the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday hits the 2026 movies that December. While there’s no reason (right now) to think that Brolin will return as either character, when speaking with the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the topic of his work as both did come up. After revealing that Thanos was originally supposed to only be a cameo, he added:

Brolin didn’t go into details about why he, seemingly, holds Thanos so close to his heart that he’d be willing to drop everything, pull on those motion-capture pajamas again and play the Big Bad. However, it sounds like his love for former Iron Man Robert Downey, Jr. (who’s starring in Doomsday as Doctor Doom) and the Russo brothers has a lot to do with it. He continued:

The Oscar nominee explained that he and Joe Russo are embarking on a business endeavor together, but noted his fondness for the siblings, saying, “I love both of them. I think they’re amazing.” So, when he was asked about possibly being able to bring Thanos back (which has been rumored) in some way, Brolin confirmed that he has complete faith in the Russos’ ability to make such a shocking turn of events work within the story they’re now building. Brolin said:

Though it would be severely premature to get excited about the idea of Brolin’s Thanos returning to the MCU, at least we know that he’s down for the opportunity if it arises.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now playing on the 2025 movies schedule, arriving six years after Marvel Studios gained the film rights to the superhero team as a result of the Disney/Fox merger. WandaVision’s Matt Shakman was selected to direct the fifth movie starring Marvel’s First Family (counting the unreleased 1994 feature), but he wasn’t the only MCU filmmaker involved with the production. Shakman recently revealed how Joe and Anthony Russo took an interest in Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Thing and Human Torch’s latest cinematic foray.

The Russo Brothers have been part of the MCU family ever since they delivered Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014, and they followed that up with Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Then at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that they’d return to helm the upcoming Marvel movies Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. But as far as The Fantastic Four: First Steps was concerned, here’s what Shakman had to say to Deadline about The Russo Brothers being around during filming:

The Fantastic Four: First Steps began filming on July 30, 2024. This came a week after it was not only announced at SDCC that the Russo Brothers were stepping back into the MCU, but that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning as well to play the team’s arch-nemesis, Doctor Doom. With Doom taking over as the lead antagonist of Doomsday and Secret Wars from Jonathan Majors’ Kang The Conqueror, and then the later confirmation that the Fantastic Four themselves will be in both movies too, it’s no wonder Joe and Anthony Russo had a vested interest in First Steps.

Like Matt Shakman said, they needed to get a handle on Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn’s characters before inheriting them for the next Avengers movies. I won’t share any spoilers for First Steps here since the movie just opened, but its events pave the way for Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm to team up with the Avengers, New Avengers and the X-Men, among others. This was teased back in May in the Thunderbolts* post-credits scene with the arrival of a ship adorned with the Fantastic Four logo.

We’ll see how the Fantastic Four do under the Russo Brothers’ supervision when Avengers: Doomsday comes out on December 18, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on December 17, 2027. Before those, however, the next MCU movie up is Spider-Man: Brand New Day, slated for July 31, 2026.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for constantly expanding, thanks to new projects hitting theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Arguably the most highly anticipated of the upcoming Marvel movies is Avengers: Doomsday, which will be the shared universe's next big crossover. The Russo Brothers shared the first set photo from that blockbuster, and the project has never felt more real.

What we know about Avengers: Doomsday has been limited, but the blockbuster is definitely coming together behind the scenes. Marvel's live stream revealed most of its cast, which obviously includes Robert Downey Jr.'s return and debut as Doctor Doom. A photo from The Russos' Instagram showed that they're seemingly on set, check it out below:

It's really happening! It's been a long time since Avengers: Endgame hit theaters back in 2019, and fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know that we haven't had any major crossovers since. But that's all going to change, and Robert Downey Jr. is going from her to villain in the process.

Obviously we knew that Robert Downey Jr. was going to play Doctor Doom in the forthcoming MCU blockbuster, but the mere fact that he and The Russo Brothers have reunited on the movie's set is thrilling news. And this also might mean that fans will be treated with more information about the Doomsday as it comes together. Fingers crossed.

Following Tony Stark's death in Avengers: Endgame, it looked like RDJ's tenure in the shared universe has officially come to an end. But the shared universe struggled a bit in the years that followed, with projects like Eternals failing to resonate with audiences and The Marvels flopping at the box office.

News of Robert Downey Jr. not only returning to the MCU but playing an entirely new role basically broke the internet when he showed up at San Diego Comic-Con in full Doctor Doom attire. The details or how this story is coming together remains a total mystery, which has resulted in countless fan theories and rumors swirling around online. But clearly the fans are galvanized about this title, standing in stark juxtaposition to som other recent releases.

As previously mentioned, Marvel recently revealed some but not all of the character we'll see pop up in Avengers: Doomsday. That includes a number of X-Men OG's who are reprising their roles, including Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen and James Marsden. Fans assume this will happen thanks to The Marvels' credits scene, which showed Monica Rambeau in an alternate universe with the X-Men.

Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom is expected to create an evil plot that could affect the entire multiverse, although the details of the plot are still being kept under wraps for the moment. And since the movie isn't expected to hit theaters until next year, the studio will likely be continuing to hide its secrets.

First up is Thunderbolts* on May 2nd as part of the 2025 movie release list. And since members of that team are confirmed for Doomsday, it'll presumably be an important one in the trajectory of the MCU as a whole.

The last time Chris Pratt and the Russo Brothers collaborated, they worked on Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, which became the second highest-grossing movies of all time. Their latest movie together is The Electric State, which we’ve had high on our lists when it comes to 2025 Netflix release dates. Well it’s clearly a winning combination given the sci-fi movie is celebrating its second week on the Netflix global top 10, and Pratt is celebrating.

According to Netflix, The Electric State has already earned 22.5 million views from those with a Netflix subscription, making it the most watched movie on the streaming service for two weeks in a row. The global top 10 is a combination of all the viewing that occurs on Netflix around the world, so it’s definitely worth pointing out. Check out Pratt’s message on Instagram:

The Electric State is a science fiction adventure film that’s an adaptation of the illustrated novel from Swedish author and artist Simon Stålenhag. Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely wrote the movie’s screenplay, and they've also penned a ton of MCU movies, along with the Narnia movies and another big Netflix hit, The Gray Man.

The Electric State takes place in a 1990 where a war between humans and robots has left Earth a mess. It follows teenager Michelle (played by Millie Bobby Brown) who is recently orphaned and goes on a journey with a sentient robot named Cosmo to find her brother. On the way, they meet Pratt’s character of Keats and band together with a bunch of robots, including Mr. Peanut. Yes, this movie includes Mr. Peanut.

It certainly helps that the movie star led the project in a Star-Lord-like role next to Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown. While Chris Pratt has never had a Netflix movie before, Millie Bobby Brown has been in several hit No. 1 movies alongside Stranger Things, such as last year’s Damsel, which currently stands as the No. 9 most popular Netflix movie ever. Oh, and the Russo Brothers’ The Gray Man stands at No. 8.

While Chris Pratt is celebrating a hugely successful release with The Electric State, the reception from audiences regarding the movie has been relatively mixed. Critics agreed they weren’t into it, calling it “derivative” and “soulless.” CinemaBlend’s own The Electric State review gave the movie a 2.5 out of 5 stars, calling its dialogue “entirely predictable and forgettable.” That being said, the Rotten Tomatoes score didn’t reflect the audience, as the fans gave it a 70% as opposed to 15%.

Given there’s not another movie with a high-profile actor until Tom Hardy’s Havoc comes out on April 25, The Electric State could remain a global favorite for a few weeks.

At this point, directors Joe and Anthony Russo are pretty pros when it comes to pitching and overseeing productions set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They’ve helmed some of the franchise’s biggest films and are returning for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. Of course, a lot has to be done for those movies before the camera starts rolling, and that was true for 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. The Russos recalled having to pitch the film to Robert Downey Jr., and I’m shaking a little bit over their account of events.

Plenty of fans may remember the making of Civil War most for its much-anticipated use of Spider-Man, who made his MCU debut in what’s now one of the highest ranked Marvel movies. However, there was also the matter of convincing Robert Downey Jr. to join up, considering the story wouldn’t have worked without his Tony Stark (Iron Man). As part of a profile piece for THR, the Russos recalled sharing the idea with producer Kevin Feige, and they were somewhat thrown for a loop afterwards, as Anthony said:

Kevin Feige was too funny for this, given he just tasked two directors with pitching another MCU film to one of the biggest actors in Hollywood. But, of course, this particular flick differed from RDJ’s past appearances in the superhero-centric franchise. During his and his brother’s interview with the trade, Joe Russo went on to set the scene for the pitch meeting, and it’s hard not to get second-hand nervousness:

Joe Russo: Downey was sitting on a chaise lounge, splayed out like a king, on the roof of his office in Venice. Ant and I showed up and we’ve been rehearsing this pitch, and you’re literally pitching the biggest movie star in the world to take his giant cash cow character and convert it into a villain.

Anthony Russo: In a Captain America movie.

Of course, as we know, Robert Downey Jr. eventually agreed to star in the film alongside Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and a host of other MCU stars. Since then, it seems that Downey and the Russos have forged solid professional and personal relationships. The Oppenheimer star even said, when interviewed for THR’s story, that the sibling filmmakers are “family” to him at this point. Still, as Joe remembered, pitching the third Cap film to Downey years ago was no small task:

The brothers are reuniting with Robert Downey Jr. for their two upcoming superhero movies and, ironically, this will be an even bigger MCU leap for the actor. Downey is returning to the franchise as Doctor Doom, one of the biggest villains in the history of comic books. Rumors have swirled around Downey’s Doom, but what we know for sure is that the actor is really putting in the work while developing the character. The Russos have even said that as part of that “intense” process, the star has helped write backstory and share costume ideas.

Something that’s particularly ironic now is that RDJ actually persuaded the Russos to return for these new Avengers movies. What I’m hopeful for is that the trio’s collaborative spirit will yield awesome work that’s comparable to their past films. That’s a tall order but, considering what they’ve done together, they deserve the benefit of the doubt. In the meantime, check out the group’s first shared MCU outing, Captain America: Civil War, by streaming it with a Disney+ subscription.

It’s become a fairly regular occurrence for Netflix’s movie schedule to feature A-list names, and the Russo Brothers’ The Electric State, one of the latest to hit the 2025 movie calendar, is no different. In fact, Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown are just two of more than a dozen well-known actors in The Electric State’s cast. Before the flick hits streaming on March 14, critics had the chance to give it a watch, so let’s see what they think.

The sci-fi adventure is an adaptation of the illustrated novel, centering around a teen girl and her robot traveling through an alternate version of our world in the aftermath of a devastating war between man and machine. In CinemaBlend’s review of The Electric State, Nick Venable gives it 2.5 stars out of 5, saying that overshadowing the gorgeous visuals is a story that’s both predictable and forgettable. He says:

Alex Harrison of ScreenRant gives it a 4 out of 10, saying the Russo brothers should know better than to make a film this bad. While the VFX looks great, the critic says, The Electric State may actually be harmful to movies overall because audiences might forget that films can and should be better. Harrison continues:

Nick Schager of The Daily Beast says to “Skip This” nostalgia overload. Millie Bobby Brown is “wobbly” in the lead role, the critic says, calling the Russo brothers’ reported $320 million project “a colossal waste.” Schager writes:

Justin Clark of Slant gives The Electric State a brutal .5 out of 4 rating, writing: “There’s nothing behind its contemptible eyes, no spine to house the fading diode that once contained a soul. This is ‘content’ at its most nakedly bankrupt.” More from Clark’s POV:

A.A. Dowd of IGN rates the movie a “Bad” 4 out of 10, saying this “anti-event movie” is little more than corporate mascots like Mr. Peanut slinging one-liners and begging for our nostalgic affection. Dowd writes:

The abysmal 19% (from 53 critics) that The Electric State has earned on Rotten Tomatoes pales in comparison to the Russo brothers’ MCU movies, and while critics had plenty to say about what they didn’t like, many agreed the visual effects were impressive. If all of this sounds like enough to fire up your Netflix subscription, The Electric State will be available to stream on Friday, March 14.

The future is both bright and doom-laden for the filmmaking siblings Anthony and Joe Russo, who are handling the most important pair of upcoming Marvel movies possible in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. But before all that superheroic chaos comes their latest cinematic effort, Netflix’s original feature The Electric State, a bonkers-looking novel adaptation that unfortunately isn’t winning over critics nearly as much as their MCU features.

At least when it comes Rotten Tomatoes’ aggregated reviews, The Electric State sounds like it’s lacking in electrical power, which is disappointing to see ahead of the film’s release. (It’s available to stream on Friday, March 14, with a Netflix subscription.) The cumulative response to the Russos’ latest film, which boasts Mr. Peanut as a main character alongside Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt’s leads, is surprisingly low overall, but especially when compared to their action-packed efforts for Marvel.

The Electric State's RT Score Is Undeniably Rotten

One of the most expensive films ever produced, with a reported budget that's well above $300 million, The Electric State will almost definitely generate a ton of viewership and I wouldn't be surprised if the platform enjoys a subscriber uptick specifically from the Russo brothers' fans. And it'll be very interesting to see where the Audience score lands for Electric State on Rotten Tomatoes, because the current critical score is rather abysmal.

• The Electric State - 23% Rotten (based on 22 reviews)

And not to beat a CGI-crafted dead horse here, but even the handful of reviews that eked past the Fresh-threshold weren't exactly glowing, and fell on the side of "it wasn't so terrible that my day was ruined." To the Russos' credit, many critics appear to agree that The Electric State looks vibrant and engaging throughout, and mostly nails effects sequences, which is something they've long had experience with in the world of Marvel's heroes.

However, unlike the strong screenplays and story beats that the duo's MCU projects gave fans, The Electric State's script from Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, and Simon Stålenhag gets the biggest amount of blowback in reviews. The narrative struck many as hokey and by-the-numbers, without any of the comedy that Anthony and Joe Russo excelled with in Community and Arrested Development.

The Netflix movie drew way more comparisons to their 2022 thriller The Gray Man (45% RT score) and Cherry (37%) than Captain America: Winter Soldier and their other Marvel fare. Which is possibly telling, depending on one's mileage where those films are concerned. Speaking of the MCU...

All The Russo Brothers' MCU RT Scores Tower Over The Electric State's

Given how more recent Marvel Studios releases such as Captain America: Brave New World have fared with critics and moviegoers, it's sli-i-i-ightly easier to forget just how acclaimed Anthony and Joe Russo's four films were, and they will likely continue to set a high bar for future MCU efforts to aim for.

Here's where each of those films currently sits on Rotten Tomatoes:

• Captain America: The Winter Soldier - 90% Critics, 92% Audience
• Captain America: Civil War - 91% Critics, 89% Audience
• The Avengers: Infinity War - 85% Critics, 92% Audience
• The Avengers: Endgame - 94% Critics, 90% Audience

So much of the filmmakers' immediate future will be invested in bringing Robert Downey Jr. back into the MCU as Doctor Doom and grouping myriad superheroes and villains together again for their pair of Avengers films, which will reportedly be filmed closely together, with a relatively short hiatus between productions. And with respects to those hoping for Mr. Peanut to breakout as a character actor, maybe that's a good thing.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a machine of content, arriving both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Some of the most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movies are The Russos' pair of Avengers movies: Doomsday and Secret Wars. But while some recent movies like Deadpool 3 had exterior shot leaks, the pair of filmmakers is already planning on how to combat that.

What we know about Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars is super limited for the time being, but development on the blockbusters is seemingly in full swing. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order are hyped about Robert Downey Jr.'s return to the universe as Doctor Doom, but The Russos spoke to Collider about actively trying to avoid leaks via photographers. Joe Russo confirmed that the majority of production will be on locked down sound stages, saying:

I mean, can you blame him at this point? There have been a number of big blockbusters who had costumes and locations spoiled because of the paparazzi. Drones captured footage of Ariana Grande filming "No One Mourns The Wicked", revealing her costumes and vocals long before trailers were out. Additionally, the live-action Moana faced leaks of Dwayne Johnson as Maui.

In the same interview, Anthony Russo also shared how the fear of paparazzi is affecting another part of production: exactly where exteriors are shot. As he put it:

This is just one example of how many decisions go into every movie, let alone a wildly expensive Avengers movie set in the MCU. But the fandom has faith in The Russos, as their previous movies in the shared universe always high up in the Marvel movies ranked. So if anyone can make the wild multiversal story of the next two movies happen it's them.

It certainly does seem like development for Doomsday and Secret Wars is underway, with casting news starting to trickle out about the titles. The Russos recently spoke about Robert Downey Jr.'s backstory work for Doctor Doom, and it sounds like the Oscar winning actor is heavily involved in crafting this new villainous persona.

In the comics, Secrets Wars puts heroes together in an epic multiversal battle, and fans are expecting that to be adapted for the forthcoming film. Alas the studio, as well as The Russos, are keeping their cards close to the chest for the time being. But fans are curious to see what heroes get in on the fun, and who might be playing variant versions of their signature heroes. Just about anything could happen, but we'll have to wait since those movies aren't in the 2025 movie release list.

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…

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…

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.

In 2019, Avengers: Endgame unleashed monumental changes on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only did it have a major impact on the Marvel timeline, with the story executing a five year time jump, the events impacted every single character in the canon with the reversal of The Blip, and beloved heroes sacrificed their lives. It exists as the most consequential title in the MCU to date… but that may end up changing in a few years with the release of the upcoming Marvel movie Avengers: Secret Wars.

The capstone blockbuster of The Multiverse Saga is coming in 2027, a year after the premiere of Avengers: Doomsday, and while much is being kept hush-hush about the project (as is the tradition at Marvel Studios), the details we do know are fascinating, and the implications of the title are massive. So will Avengers: Secret Wars have an even bigger impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe than Avengers: Endgame? I’d make the argument that the answer is “potentially yes”, in that while the 2019 film was an end of an era for the franchise, the 2027 release may offer something even more special: a new beginning.

The Release Date

Avengers: Secret Wars will arrive in theaters on May 7, 2027, having first been announced as part of the MCU’s Phase 6 slate at San Diego Comic-Con 2022. The movie was originally scheduled to be released in November 2025, but behind the scenes changes and delays of other Marvel projects saw the film pushed back. It has been described as the final movie of the franchise epoch known as the Multiverse Saga, following Avengers: Doomsday (May 1, 2026) and the untitled Spider-Man 4 (July 24, 2026). It is presently the only Marvel Studios feature title scheduled for 2027, but that may change.

Expectations for Marvel Cinematic Universe movies are always high, but Avengers: Secret Wars exists in a special upper echelon of anticipation as fans wonder how the film will shape the future of the canon. There are multiple confirmed aspects feeding excitement, including:

• The Reprisal Of Robert Downey Jr. As Victor Von Doom a.k.a. Doctor Doom
• The Filmmakers Attached To Make Avengers Secret Wars
• The Significance Of “Secret Wars” As A Crossover Event Title In The Comics

Robert Downey Jr. Will Be Back As Doctor Doom In Avengers: Secret Wars

When Robert Downey Jr. took the stage in Hall H during the Marvel Studios panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, his presence didn’t just confirm his casting as Victor Von Doom for Avengers: Doomsday (marking a return to the franchise for the Marvel star following the death of Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame). It was also confirmed amid all of the hullaballoo that the character will also have a key role to play in Avengers: Secret Wars. We have no clue what that role will be, as we don’t even know what he will be up to in Doomsday, but it’s fascinating for obvious reasons.

Doctor Doom is a major character in both iterations of Secret Wars from the comics (more on those in a bit), but with the sixth Avengers movie putting an emphasis on the multiverse, it may end up being the title that sees Robert Downey Jr. playing both the Latverian villain and making a bold return as an alternate dimension Tony Stark.

The Russo Brothers Are Making Their Return To Marvel Studios

Taking the helm of Avengers: Secret Wars will be Joe and Anthony Russo, who have directed a number of the MCU’s greatest successes. While principally known for their work in sitcom television, the sibling filmmakers made Captain America: The Winter Soldier as their first action movie, and it stands as one of the most celebrated titles in the canon. They followed up that work making Captain America: Civil War – another feature considered one of the best Marvel movies – and they then were hired to make Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

The Russo brothers are making Avengers: Doomsday in addition to Avengers: Secret Wars, but unlike their last pair of Avengers films, the productions won’t be scheduled back-to-back. Joe Russo has said that there will be a bigger gap between the making of Doomsday and Secret Wars after working with just a four week break between Infinity War and Endgame.

The Secret Wars Title Carries A Lot Of Expectations From Comic Book Fans And May Result In The Birth Of A Brand New MCU Canon

What will Avengers: Secret Wars be about? That’s not a question that that we can answer with full confidence at this point, even with the film’s title as a guidepost. After all, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has yet to attempt any direct adaptations of stories from the comics – with filmmakers instead finding inspirations from broad stroke ideas (Captain America: Civil War being a perfect example). Knowing that the blockbuster is named after the most significant crossovers in Marvel Comics is more of a hint at what is being cooked up rather than a detailed revelation… but it nonetheless raises eyebrows regarding what it may mean for the future of the MCU.

There exists a very real possibility that the canon as we know it will be gone by the time the end credits roll on Avengers: Secret Wars. We don’t yet know for certain which version of Secret Wars from the comics will serve as the primary source of inspiration – either the original from 1984/1985 or the more recent event from 2015 – but if it’s the latter, it’s worth noting that the inciting incident is two distinct Marvel universes (Earth-616 and the Ultimate Universe) crashing together and being obliterated. There are refugees from the disaster, and Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom form a sketchy collaboration in the effort to rebuild reality.

Canon resets are a regular thing in the world of comics, as they prevent continuities from becoming too complicated and vast, and provide fresh entry points for newcomers. By 2027, the Marvel Cinematic Universe may be ready for a cinematic version of this narrative practice, and Avengers: Secret Wars could be a perfect vehicle.

What To Watch To Get Ready For Avengers: Secret Wars

Given the expected scale of Avengers: Secret Wars, it may not be enough to just watch the films of the Multiverse Saga to prepare. At this point in time, we can’t dismiss the idea that it will reach even further back in the canon, and not only expand on the movies and television shows since 2021, but also everything since the arrival of Iron Man in 2008. To be best equipped for your eventual screening of the blockbuster, you may need to watch/rewatch everything.

This is a complicated screening adventure because of the sheer size of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (34 movies and 12 series to date – not counting the Marvel Netflix shows), but it’s simple from a logistics perspective. The whole canon is instantly accessible with a Disney+ subscription, and watching the entirety of the MCU would definitely be a way to fully take advantage of the service.

Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for all of the biggest updates about Avengers: Secret Wars in the run-up to its arrival in 2027.

There are a lot of films on the 2025 movie schedule to be excited about but between the upcoming Marvel movies and the first DC movies in James Gunn’s new DCU, there is a strange little upcoming Netflix movie directed by the Russo Brothers that I am perhaps looking forward to absolve all else: The Electric State starring Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown.

It’s a strange little movie that starts off with the idea that Walt Disney’s audio-animatronics eventually gave rise to sentient robots and that those robots eventually went to war with humans. One of the key robot characters in the film will be an animatronic Mr. Peanut. And while that’s wild enough, Joe Russo tells EW that Mr. Peanut will be “the Jimmy Carter” of the robots. He said…

It’s unclear if the joke of making a connection between Mr. Peanut, a sentient peanut, and Jimmy Carter, a peanut farmer, is intentional, but I am absolutely here for it. Honestly, considering the work that the Russo Bros. went through to get the rights to use Mr. Peanut as a character, it would make sense if this connection was entirely intentional. They could have used any advertising character, or used an original creation, but they clearly wanted Mr. Peanut.

The other reason what we know about The Electric State makes it interesting film is that while it takes place in a world where a war between robots and humans happened, it’s not actually about the war. The movie is set after the war has already been won, by humanity.

Chris Pratt plays a former fighter in the war dealing with his own issues, who agrees to help Millie Bobby Brown, who believes her brother died in the war, but learns he is still alive and in need of rescue. This will send them into the Exclusion Zone referenced by Joe Russo, that will put them in contact with Mr. Peanut, and other robots.

Pretty soon the Russo Brothers will be back working with Marvel on the two planned Avengers movies, and Chris Pratt may be back there too. Until then, we’ll get to see a very different sort of adventure from them which may not be the best movie of next year but it is shaping up to be one of the strangest and I can’t wait for it.

It has been years since we saw the greatest heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe fight together, but the wait will be over soon upon the release of Avengers: Doomsday. However, the upcoming Marvel movie is not just bringing back the usual favorites.

Because this 39th installment of the long-running franchise of acclaimed superhero movies is finally bringing in one of the most feared villains in comic book history, Kevin Feige and co. is assembling a team unlike anything the MCU has seen before, combining familiar faces, newcomers, and even a few people from other corners of the Marvel multiverse. Let’s get into who is avenging this time and what else we know about the upcoming superhero movie in the following guide to Avengers: Doomsday.

What Is The Avengers: Doomsday Release Date?

Currently, Avengers: Doomsday is set to hit theaters on December 18, 2026. Also, as of March 2025, we know that the MCU’s fifth epic crossover film is now in production.

Avengers: Doomsday is one of only two Marvel movies scheduled to arrive in 2026, the other being an upcoming Spider-Man movie, the currently untitled Spider-Man 4 with Tom Holland, which will play on the big screen a few months earlier. However, the MCU has already had a big year with the 2025 movie schedule so far, with the release of Captain America: Brave New World, and on the 2025 TV premiere schedule too, with new Marvel TV shows on Disney+ like Daredevil: Brave New World. This year will also see Thunderbolts* hitting theaters in May and The Fantastic Four: First Steps debuting in July.

What Avengers: Doomsday Is About

As per usual, very little regarding the plot of Avengers: Doomsday has been revealed, save that the main villain of the story is Victor von Doom, otherwise known as Doctor Doom. Going to war against the ruthless Latverian monarch will not be just one team of vigilantes, but a supergroup, if you will, comprised of several veterans from the Avengers, a few established MCU characters who have never officially fought with team, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and members of the Thunderbolts.

So, the characters involved are the only concrete details we can speak of at the moment, but directors Joe and Anthony Russo did share with TechRadar that they are taking inspiration from Marvel Comics’ Secret Wars arcs, including one published in the 1980s and another from the 2010s. Previously, the plot of the fifth Avengers film was intended to revolve around a different “big bad” and was going to be called Avengers: The Kang Dynasty before Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors was dropped by Marvel in 2023 following high-profile legal troubles.

The Avengers: Doomsday Cast

Fans received the first, and easily the most shocking, announcement regarding who would be in the Avengers: Doomsday cast in Summer 2024 at San Diego Comic Con. The Hall H crowd erupted into a roar of excitement and confusion when it was revealed that Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU, but not as Iron Man. Instead, the Academy Award winner (for his supporting role in Oppenheimer) is the one putting the “doom” in Avengers: Doomsday by starring as Doctor Doom.

In March of this year, Marvel Studios revealed who would be taking on the dastardly foe with a live-streamed video on X (formerly Twitter), which is now available on YouTube, lasting more than five hours, in which foldout chairs bearing the actors’ names were placed next to each other, one by one, every 15 minutes. In addition to established veterans of the franchise, the previewed ensemble also includes the stars of upcoming flicks Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, as well as a few who are making their MCU debuts but not their Marvel debuts, having previously starred in the live-action X-Men movies.

Check out the full Avengers: Doomsday cast, complete with character names, below:

• Chris Hemsworth (Thor)
• Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm / Invisible Woman)
• Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson / Captain America)
• Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes)
• Letitia Wright (Shuri / Black Panther)
• Paul Rudd (Scott Lang / Ant-Man)
• Wyatt Russell (John Walker / U.S. Agent)
• Tenoch Huerta (Namor)
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm / The Thing)
• Simu Liu (Xu Shang-Chi)
• Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova)
• Kelsey Grammer (Hank McCoy / Beast)
• Lewis Pullman (Bob / Sentry)
• Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres / Falcon)
• Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm / Human Torch)
• David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian)
• Winston Duke (M'Baku)
• Hannah John-Kamen (Ava Starr / Ghost)
• Tom Hiddleston (Loki)
• Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier / Professor X)
• Ian McKellen (Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto)
• Alan Cumming (Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler)
• Rebecca Romijn (Raven Darkhölme / Mystique)
• James Marsden (Scott Summers / Cyclops)
• Channing Tatum (Remy LeBeau / Gambit)
• Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic)
• Robert Downey Jr. (Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom)

Avengers: Secret Wars Has Also Been Announced

Joe and Anthony Russo revealed to Omelete that, while Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were two halves of a finale to the MCU’s first saga, Avengers: Doomsday will be the first half of a new beginning for the franchise. Avengers: Secret Wars (currently set to release in December 2027) will be the finale to Phase Six and the Multiverse Saga overall.

The sixth Avengers movie shares its name with the aforementioned comic book arc, which ran for 12 issues from 1984 to 1985, in which an omnipotent being called the Beyonder brings various heroes and villains (including Doctor Doom) to the planet Battleworld and pits them against each other like gladiators. I can only assume (or hope) that the MCU actors who were not named in the casting announcement (such as Spider-Man actor Tom Holland, Hawkeye’s Jeremy Renner, or Elizabeth Olsen of Scarlet Witch fame) will be involved in that story. I wonder if we will also see any unnamed stars of the Fox-era X-Men movies, such as Halle Berry as Storm or Ryan Reynolds, who made his MCU debut alongside Hugh Jackman in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine.

Joe And Anthony Russo Are Directing Avengers: Doomsday

Some of the titles considered to be the absolute best Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame – all of which are directed by Joe and Anthony Russo. The brotherly duo previously claimed they would be walking away from the franchise for good after their 2019 smash, but it looks like you should never say never. The Russos are directing both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, which, according to Variety, was a top condition for Robert Downey Jr.’s return.

After most recently working with the Russos as the co-writer for their Netflix original movies, The Gray Man and The Electric State, Stephen McFeely is reteaming with them to pen Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. He had previously written several classic MCU movies, including Endgame, with his frequent partner, Christopher Markus, but this will be his first solo effort with the franchise. Loki creator Michael Waldron was previously serving as the screenwriter when Daniel Destin Cretton was still on board as the director.

How To Watch All The Previous Avengers Movies

You still have plenty of time to catch up on or revisit all of the Marvel movies in order before Avengers: Doomsday is released. However, if you are only in the mood to see the installment in which the team comes together, all you need is a Disney+ subscription. Of course, there are also other ways to watch The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, as seen below:

I was already pretty jazzed by the idea of Robert Downey Jr. coming back to the MCU as Doctor Doom, but now that the Fox-era X-Men will be joining in on the fun, I could not be more excited. And this is only the beginning of what we have to learn about Avengers: Doomsday.

Being a movie star, all things considered, seems like a pretty sweet gig. You get to make a lot of money, you’re famous, and most people love you. And making movies seems like it’s a lot of fun. Chris Pratt has been in some big movies and while he's occasionally viewed as the "Worst Chris," he thinks that making movies is such fun that there’s little excuse for anybody to be in a bad mood on a movie set, and he apparently has zero patience for it.

Speaking on a panel at New York Comic-Con (via People) about his upcoming Netflix movie The Electric State that's currently on the 2025 movie schedule, Chris Pratt praised the attitude of his co-star Millie Bobby Brown, as well as the film’s directors, Joe and Anthony Russo. Pratt says bad attitudes are a problem because they ruin the experience for everybody involved. He said…

While the actors on the screen get most of the credit or blame, for any given movie, as Chris Pratt points out, there are a lot of people who are involved in movie-making. Somebody with a bad attitude is going to be interacting with everybody else and we all know how a bad attitude can infect others. He also indicates that an attitude like that will eventually come back to haunt somebody, as others might be less inclined to work with them if they know what they’re getting into.

While Chris Pratt has been jokingly called a "diva" in the past by co-stars, it does appear that most of his co-stars have good things to say about him. Being a huge celebrity doesn't always go to people's heads, though it certainly can. We've certainly heard stories, though not always with names attached, about stars who treat others badly.

For his part, Chris Pratt seems to have a pretty well-adjusted view of his position on a film set. He knows that he’s got it pretty good, that he’s living the dream of not only himself but a lot of other people. As such, he knows how good he has it, which prevents him from developing the bad attitude of others. He continued…

It’s also generally true that when people are enjoying whatever work they’re doing, the end result is usually better. This would seem to be good news for The Electric State. The film is based in a world where humans have battled sentient robots, including an animatronic Mr. Peanut. The movie is set to hit Netflix next March.

If anything could have gotten fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe even more excited for upcoming Marvel movies, it was the reveal that the Russo Brothers will be back to direct the next two Avengers films just as they did Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, two of the highest grossing movies of all-time. A lot about the next two movies will mirror the structure of the previous Avengers films, but one thing that apparently won’t will be the shooting schedule.

Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are scheduled to be released a year apart, just as Infinity War and Endgame were. However, speaking with Collider the Russo Brothers revealed that the movies aren’t planned to be filmed back-to-back the way the previous Avengers films were. According to Joe Russo...

When multiple sequels get the greenlight at the same time, it’s far from uncommon for them to get filmed together. It happened previously with sequels to Back to the Future, The Matrix, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Sometimes the two films will get filmed one after the other with little or no break. Sometimes the movies will get filmed at the same time, with scenes from both movies sometimes being shot on the same day.

The former situation was the case for the last two Avengers movies, with there being only a small break between the two movies. The Russo's have previously indicated they didn't love the Avengers shooting schedule. The reason for the change may simply have been because the directors didn't want to go through that again.

Exactly when the two new Avengers movies will be filmed is unclear. Anthony Russo indicates that the break between shooting them won’t be very long, but the break will be significantly longer this time around. He explained...

The back-to-back filming meant that principal photography on Endgame was done a long time before it traditionally would have been completed, so it seems the plan for these two films is for each one to be filmed on its own. Shooting on major tentpoles with major post-production is usually completed around a year before release, so with the two movies coming out a year apart, it seems filming will be separated like that as well.

The reason may simply be one of storytelling as much as anything else. Infinity War and Endgame were two movies telling a single story, and while Doomsday and Secret Wars might be doing the same thing, that’s far from clear. While Secret Wars will likely be strongly inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name, exactly what Avengers: Doomsday will be about, beyond that it will include the return of Robert Downey Jr. to the MCU, is more of a mystery. The two movies may be more self-contained stories, making it easier for them to be filmed separately.

Millie Bobby Brown fans currently are waiting for updates on the final season of Stranger Things, which is expected to bring the years-long story to a close. But ever since we spoke with her on the press tour for Damsel – an underrated movie about dragons – Brown has been teasing her upcoming project with Joe and Anthony Russo titled The Electric State. The actress gushed over the heart and emotion that we would see in the movie, and claimed that we’d all fall in love with the robots who are her co-stars.

And now that we see the first trailer for The Electric State (shared above), I understand where she’s coming from.

The Russo Brothers, obviously, are best known for their work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe… a point made clear in the trailer for The Electric State. This movie’s script even comes to us from frequent Russo collaborators Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who co-wrote Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. There are no superheroes on display in this sci-fi wonderment, but that doesn’t mean the movie doesn’t look heroic, inspirational and awe-inducing.

Set in a futuristic society, The Electric State mentions something about a rebellion, which leaves most of society – including some charismatic robots – missing something. There was loss, and there was pain. And Millie Bobby Brown’s character appears ready to embark on an adventure to restore some form of order.

There are undeniable traces of Spielberg in this trailer for The Electric State, giving off a hint of Minority Report, A.I., and of course, Ready Player One. Tell me you don’t think of that movie when you see this shot? Especially while Oasis plays in the background.

I’m genuinely curious to learn more about who Chris Pratt is playing in this story. Naturally, every main character can use swashbuckling support, and that seems to be what Pratt is providing. If he ends up being a mix between Han Solo and Star-Lord, that’s precisely playing to Pratt’s strengths, and we have seen the Russo Brothers get that out of Pratt. To me, it looks like precision casting. The mustache is just icing on the cake.

But then you also look at the incredible ensemble that the Russos have gathered for The Electric State, and it makes the wait for this one even harder. Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander, Woody Norman, Giancarlo Esposito and Stanley Tucci appear in live roles, while the robots (I’m assuming) will be voiced by Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Hank Azaria, Colman Domingo and Alan Tudyk. That’s a killer line up. It also includes Mr. Peanut. Because, why not? 

Look for The Electric State, available with a Netflix subscription, when it drops on the streaming service on March 14, 2025.

When Marvel Studios takes over Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, you know something big is going to drop. And wow, did it! Robert Downey Jr. took the stage with the Russo Brothers to announce that he would return to the MCU, but no, he won't be back as Tony Stark, because this is the Multiverse Saga.

RDJ will be back for two upcoming Marvel movies as none other than Doctor Doom for the next two Avengers films, now titled Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Check out the moment Downey took the stage: 

The Russos -- who were previously rumored to be returning for the Avengers movies earlier this month -- were notably behind Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame along with Captain America: Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War. While speaking to the crowd, Joe Russo exclaimed "We miss you guys." 

The filmmakers took to the Hall H stage alongside a group of people all dressed in Doctor Doom outfits. They revealed Robert Downey Jr. as the lead in a covert manner as the actor secretly walked up with the matching actors in the Doom mask before being let up to the front. RDJ took off his hood and sent the panel a blaze in cheers. Now that's a big Hall H moment.

The Iron Man actor reveled in the applause before saying "New mask. Same task" along with quipping that he likes "playing complicated characters." Doctor Doom is most notably known as a key villain to the Fantastic Four, who will be set up in their own movie next summer with Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing.

Doomsday was previously called Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, but following Jonathan Majors' legal issues, Marvel has pivoted to a new major villain.

Here's the logo for Downey Jr's next MCU outing:

Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom will help wrap up Phase 6, not only with Doomsday, but 2027's Secret Wars, as well. Check out the new logo: 

Downey Jr's Doctor Doom was actually released as a wild rumor last week, but now we know it definitely held more water than we suggested at the time. Just a few days ago, Marvel boss Kevin Feige also spoke to the RDJ rumor while promoting Deadpool and Wolverine by saying “it can be done — if great care is taken”.

The Marvel surprise offers fans a new main villain to look forward to, and our money is on next year’s Fantastic Four teasing the villain reveal for the first time on the big screen. Now that we think about it, it could be rather poetic for Downey’s Iron Man to save the universe in the first saga before destroying it in the Multiverse Saga. Welcome back, RDJ! 

When going through the Marvel movies in order, some of the best came from directors Joe and Anthony Russo. Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame being among the most consequential movies in this franchise, and that last entry once ranked as the highest-grossing movie of all time. Well, evidently their time in the MCU isn’t done just yet, as word came in earlier this week that the Russos are being courted to direct Avengers 5 and 6. Additionally, it’s now been reported that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige turned down some directors with major superhero cred to helm these upcoming Marvel movies.

According to Puck (via ComicBookMovie), while it was previously claimed that many directors turned down the directing the next two Avengers movies given what massive undertakings they’ll be, allegedly Feige wasn’t interested in having directors tied to the Hollywood agency CAA like Noah Hawley and Greg Greg Berltanti, among other unnamed individuals, working on them. While neither of these men are filmmakers on the same cinematic level as the Russos, they’re no stranger to telling onscreen superhero stories.

Noah Hawley’s contribution to the genre came through Legion, the X-Men tie-in series that followed David Haller, the mutant son of Professor Charles Xavier. Legion was met with positive critical reception during its three-season run on FX, and it can be streamed now with a Hulu subscription. Hawley, whose other major credits include Fargo and the upcoming Alien: Earth, also announced at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con that he was writing and directing a Doctor Doom movie, but that project was shelved with Disney acquired 20th Century Fox.

As for Greg Berlanti, he was one of the principal architects of the Arrowverse, i.e. the shared continuity of DC TV shows on The CW like Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl. His other DC TV credits include developing the Max series Titans and being an executive producer on Doom Patrol, Stargirl and Batwoman (another Arrowverse series), among others. Berlanti also co-wrote 2011’s Green Lantern with fellow Arrowverse alum Marc Guggenheim, Michael Green and Michael Goldenberg.

With the exception of Noah Hawley helming 2019’s Lucy in the Sky, as indicated earlier, neither him nor Greg Berlanti have any feature film directing credits. So although they have all that superhero storytelling experience, I could understand why Kevin Feige might not think they’d be a good fit for Avengers 5 and 6, assuming this information is accurate. That said, remember that the Russos were best known for their work on TV shows like Arrested Development and Community before they were tapped to direct Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

So far the only director who’s had any official tie to either of these Avengers movies is Destin Daniel Cretton, who was once slotted to helm Avengers 5, previously known as The Kang Dynasty. However, he exited the project in November 2023, though he’ll continue to contribute to the MCU through Shang-Chi 2 and the Wonder Man series. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Michael Waldron is writing the scripts for both movies.

Avengers 5 is set for release on May 1, 2026, and Avengers 6 (which still has the Secret Wars subtitle) will follow on May 7, 2027. Keep your eyes peeled on CinemaBlend for official confirmation about Joe and Anthony Russo boarding these movies or if other directors are hired instead.

Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame were wild successes, with the latter movie becoming the highest grossing film ever for a period of time. Since then the Marvel Cinematic Universe has continually grown (both in theaters and streaming for those with a Disney+ subscription), but there's been some debate about its quality. It was just revealed that The Russo Brothers might be back for two more Avengers movies, and as a fan I'm so relieved.

I am one of many fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order; I've yet to miss a show or movie project. But many fans have take umbrage with the shared universe not having an overall narrative that it's building, as was the case with the Infinity Stones and Thanos. But THR is reporting that Joe and Anthony Russo might be back for two upcoming Marvel movies, once again tackling the behemoth that is making an Avengers project. And I think that their expert guidance might be just what the shared universe needs to return to its former glory and continue going strong. 

It's important to note that at this point the Russo Brothers are only in the early talks about bringing two more Avengers movies to life. But their contributions to the MCU are largely considered some of the best Marvel movies, including their debut Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And I personally couldn't be more happy about the idea of them taking back the Avengers reigns after some time away. 

The article by THR also mentions that the job was offered to Shawn Levy, whose movie Deadpool & Wolverine is expected to make a ton of money at the box office. He seems like a great choice, although The Russos' work within the shared universe speaks for itself. 

Bringing back strong, experienced MCU veterans like the The Russo Brothers is even more an exciting concept because of the precarious status of the Avengers franchise. The fifth movie was expected to be titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, but it's was rumored that title (and possibly the plot line) have been dropped after Jonathan Majors was fired by the studio. If a whole new direction is being considered, The Russos would no doubt be a valuable resource. 

I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, but the idea of The Russo Brothers returning for not one but two different Avengers movies is really thrilling. Fans like me will ultimately have to wait until there's some official news from the studio, but bringing on the acclaimed filmmakers seems like a no-brainer, and also a possible way to bring back returning actors like Chris Pratt. 

The next MCU movie hitting theaters is Deadpool & Wolverine, which will arrive July 26th. For now, check the 2025 movie release dates.

Walt Disney Studios has been in its live-action remake/re-imagining era since 2010’s Alice In Wonderland, and has numerous upcoming remakes on the way starting with The Lion King spinoff Mufasa hitting theaters at the end of the year. One particularly exciting remake we’ve had on our radar for four years now is the Russo Brothers’ Hercules movie. Updates on the project have been rather sparse since it was announced, but the producers recently spoke on the subject.

The Latest On The Live-Action Hercules Movie 

The Russo Brothers famously helmed several of the Marvel movies in order, including by capping off Iron Man and Captain America’s legacies with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Here’s what the producers said about what’s going on with the live-action Hercules movie four years after they were announced to be involved, per Total Film:

It was April 2020 when the first report about a Hercules remake first surfaced. Right off the bat, the Russo brothers were connected as producers. Since then, they have produced six other movies (Cherry, The Gray Man, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Extraction 2, All Fun And Games and the upcoming Netflix film The Electric State), all of which have nothing to do with the 1997 animated classic going live-action. According to the Russos, the hold-up has to do with the script getting finished.

What Else We Know About The Disney Remake

Guy Ritchie, who previously helmed the live-action Aladdin, signed on to direct the live-action Hercules movie in 2022. However, it was reported at the top of the year that the director may no longer be doing the project anymore, but that has not been officially confirmed. The last time Ritchie had spoken about it was in 2022, when he shared hopes to shoot it “within the next year.” Obviously 2023 has since come and gone.

When the Russo Brothers first spoke about the live-action Hercules movie, they shared their hopes to give audiences a “different story” from the animated movie rather than a “literal translation.”

Who Could Star In The Live-Action Hercules 

With a script still not finished for the live-action Hercules, a cast has yet to be assembled, but there has definitely been some talk going around about who should star. After Danny DeVito was named as a popular pick to return as Philoctetes, the actor shared that “if they don’t put me in that, they don’t have a hair on their ass”, henceforth putting his name in the ring. Lizzo also reacted to fans calling for her casting as one of the Muses as well.

While the live-action Hercules still sounds like it's in early development, we can continue counting it among upcoming Disney movies! And the beloved original remains ours forever, of course.

As a Marvel fan, the beliefs that everything is good in moderation and that it’s possible to have too much of a good thing have been hitting a bit harder these days. Superhero fatigue is plaguing many MCU fans, myself included, and sometimes it feels like we’re watching the same thing tonally over and over. Well, now some comments Joe Russo made on the set of Captain America: The Winter Soldier have re-emerged a decade after the movie's release where he gave an analogy that related Marvel movies to eating too much chocolate ice cream. And I have to admit, his words are still very relevant all these years later. 

If you’ve seen the Marvel movies in order, there’s no question that Captain America: The Winter Soldier is ranked as one of the best MCU projects. Bringing the energy of a ‘70s spy thriller into this world of superheroes, directors Joe and Anthony Russo made a wholly unique superhero movie that felt different and new. Speaking to this point ten years ago on the set of the beloved film, Joe Russo told Total Film that they wanted to change things up because they felt it was important to add a new tone and voice into this growing superhero world. Using a great ice cream example, the co-director said:

He’s right, even all these years later, Winter Soldier – a five-star film in our book – still stands as one of the best MCU installments because they took a tonal turn, focused on character and made a movie that didn’t fully conform to what we’ve come to know as Marvel’s signature style. Basically, it feels like a political thriller first and then a superhero film, and that’s the kind of different flavor we need in a cinematic universe that is constantly expanding.

The same can be said for other beloved MCU projects, like Guardians of the Galaxy and one of Marvel’s best shows Loki. Like the Russo Brothers’ movies within this superhero universe, these projects had their own voices and styles while still fitting into the greater universe that’s being constructed. That can’t be said for all other projects, and at the moment I think we’ve had a bit too much chocolate ice cream rather than experimenting with new flavors. 

In 2023, it felt like too many MCU projects were coming out, and between the serious yet humorous tone Marvel has made their standard, the constant talk about the infinite multiverse, and the seemingly neverending number of mid-credit setups that might not go anywhere I felt overwhelmed. Now, fans are fatigued, and I’m hoping Marvel will be back on the upswing soon. 

It feels like they are! As Joe Russo said, with The Winter Soldier they were trying to make something new and different that would be totally unique within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Based on what we know about Deadpool and Wolverine – which is set to premiere on the 2024 movie schedule on July 26 – it feels like through the characters’ snarky humor, the jaw-dropping action and the R-rated-ness of the film, they’re attempting to add a new flavor. Plus, the studio seems to be slowing down their output and really putting time into perfecting their projects. As a longtime Marvel fan, this is very encouraging to hear, because, like ice cream, I like my movies high quality. 

Hopefully, as the upcoming Marvel projects come out, we’ll be able to see more filmmakers applying the mindset Joe Russo explained so many years ago on the set of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Clearly, it worked for them, because the second Cap movie (which you can stream with a Disney+ subscription) is highly regarded and loved to this day.

He plays the ultimate villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Josh Brolin recently revealed that he needed a little help tapping into his inner bad guy to play the alien warlord Thanos, who appeared in a number of MCU movies but most notably Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

While Marvel fans have been scouring the universe for every teasing clue that more Thanos is coming—here's what the actor himself had to say about those relentless rumors—Brolin took moviegoers back to the character's beginnings in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy during a sit-down with GQ, in which Josh broke down some of his most iconic film roles, from The Goonies to Dune. 

He, of course, touched on the Mad Titan, but shared that he didn't think he was right to play the supervillain, until the Russo Brothers gave him a note that helped him unlock that performance: 

To play the Marvel villain (who Brolin hilariously calls "a super good guy, like a neighbor...just purple and big"), the actor had to navigate the complicated nature of motion capture work, which sees performers having to sport skintight bodysuits covered with "1500 dots on your face" to record their movements. 

Those 3D points can then be rendered into a digital character and placed in a new setting, à la Thanos on planet Titan. Brolin previously revealed that it was Benedict Cumberbatch's performance as Smaug in the Hobbit movies that brought him around to the greatness of mo-cap work.

Given that much of an actor's motion-capture performance isn't fully realized until they can see the whole finished product onscreen, a role like Thanos requires a lot of trust in the filmmakers. Thankfully Brolin said that he's been lucky enough to work with people who are "absolutely and utterly committed to their vision," like directors Anthony and Joseph Russo. 

It's unclear whether we'll be seeing Josh Brolin as Thanos in any upcoming Marvel movies—last we saw the iconically evil character onscreen, he died not once but twice in Avengers: Endgame, first in a beheading by Thor and then in Iron Man's Infinity Stones sacrifice. But if we do, we know that the actor is more than capable of letting out that Tony Montana rage. 

In the meantime, you can catch Brolin in another big-budget sci-fi epic, Denis Villeneuve's space blockbuster Dune: Part Two, in theaters tomorrow, March 1.

Ever since Tom Holland’s first turn as Spider-Man in 2016, he has been terrible at keeping secrets. Holland has a well-documented history of letting Marvel surprises slip during interviews and accidentally divulging spoilers. It has become somewhat of a meme amongst Marvel fans, and efforts have been taken to make sure he doesn’t leak any key information. While he has gotten a bit better in the recent years, Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo can’t help but give the Uncharted star a hard time about his loose-lipped past. 

In a hilarious new TikTok posted by the Russo Brothers’ AGBO production company, Joe Russo is shown reenacting a scenario where the plot of Endgame was being discussed in 2018. However, the subject was immediately changed when Holland entered the room. This hysterically suggests the creative team did everything they could to keep quiet around the Cherry actor, so he couldn’t spoil the movie for anyone.

The creative team definitely had reasons to be worried. Holland accidentally revealed the Avengers: Infinity War poster during an Instagram Live before Marvel gave him the okay. He also leaked the Spider-Man 2 title before it was announced (although that one might have been planned), and he gave away the ending of Infinity War to an entire packed theater. By the time Disney started production on Endgame, the studio stopped giving Holland full scripts, instead only providing him scripts with his lines to prevent any leaks. Keeping secrets is hard, but the Spider-Man actor seems to have a harder time than most. 

However, only giving Holland a hard time doesn’t exactly seem fair, as many MCU actors have given away spoilers over the years. Mark Ruffalo accidentally livestreamed Thor: Ragnarok during the movie’s premiere, as well as divulged the ending of Infinity War during a press junket. In addition, Dave Bautista let Endgame knowledge slip, and Gwyneth Paltrow made her own Avengers whoopsie. With so many major stars taking part in the superhero mega franchise, it’s a wonder more information doesn’t get out. After 32 films, Marvel must practically be a spoiler-stopping machine.

Marvel still may have to continue keeping an eye on Tom Holland, as the actor isn’t quite done with the MCU just yet. While the studio may have gotten through Endgame without the actor giving away any major plot details, it's possible he'll be back for Avengers: Secret Wars and Avengers: Kang Dynasty, so they may need to start sequestering the star now. He is also set to star in another much anticipated Spider-Man film, and I think I speak for everyone when I say the less Tom knows, the better.

While he may have a hard time keeping secrets, the Russo Brothers still love working with the superhero actor. Fans can catch Holland leading Cherry, a film led by the directing duo, which is available with an AppleTV+ subscription. MCU fans can also revisit the beloved Avengers films, which are all available for Disney+ subscribers.

With the year coming to a close, we find ourselves looking at all the big releases on the horizon, films like the Russo Brothers’ The Electric State. The upcoming book-to-screen adaptation starring Millie Bobby Brown and Christ Pratt sounds like it could be one of the biggest releases on the 2025 movie schedule, and after reading everything we know about the long-in-the-works project, you’ll hopefully understand why.

If this is the first you’re hearing about the star-studded sci-fi action flick about a woman trying to find her missing brother in an unforgiving landscape, don’t worry, because we know quite a bit about the project right now. So, stick around and come with us as we break down everything we know about The Electric State and why it could become one of the best Movies on Netflix in the very near future.

What Is The Release Date For The Electric State?

Though Netflix has yet to reveal the exact release date for The Electric State, the streamer has announced that the Russo Brother’s upcoming sci-fi movie will premiere at some point in 2025. That being said, we should know more about the exact release date, or at least the window, closer to the new year when the streamer starts to lay out its big plans for the next 12 months. 

The Electric State Cast

Millie Bobby Brown has essentially become Netflix’s MVP over the past decade since making her big break as Eleven on Stranger Things, and she hasn’t really slowed down since. Now she’s preparing to anchor one of the biggest upcoming Netflix movies in quite some time. Here’s everyone who’ll be appearing alongside her in the Electric State cast.

Millie Bobby Brown as Michelle

Millie Bobby Brown will be taking on the role of Michelle in The Electric State, a young woman desperately searching for her missing younger brother. This could be one of two massive Netflix projects for Brown in 2025, as the upcoming Stranger Things Season 5 will reportedly finally premiere at some point next year.

Chris Pratt as Keats

According to Vanity Fair, Chris Pratt, who worked with the Russos on the third and fourth Avengers movies, will be taking on the role of Keats, an eccentric drifter who joins Michelle on her journey. Between The Electric State, the second season of The Terminal list, Mercy, and Way of the Warrior Kid, the Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World alum has a lot on his plate.

Ke Huy Quan as Dr. Amherst

Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan will show up in The Electric State as Dr. Amherst, according to GamesRadar. The Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Everything Everywhere All at Once actor is also set to appear in With Love and Zootopia 2.

Stanley Tucci

Stanley Tucci will also be appearing in The Electric State, though his role has not yet been revealed. Tucci, best known for movies like Big Night, Spotlight, and The Devil Wears Prada, most recently appeared in Edward Berger’s Conclave.

Giancarlo Esposito

Giancarlo Esposito is another talented actor set to appear in The Electric State, though we’re not sure who the Breaking Bad and The Mandalorian actor will be playing. Esposito is also set to appear in the long-awaited Captain America: Brave New World.

Woody Norman

Woody Norman, who most recently appeared in The Spaceman, is set to appear in an undisclosed role in The Electric State. Norman’s other credits include The Last Voyage of the Demeter, Poldark, and the 2019 TV adaptation of The War of the Worlds

Jason Alexander

The Electric State will also feature a large voice cast, which includes Seinfeld star Jason Alexander. No stranger to voice work, Alexander has appeared in animated films like The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Leo over the years.

Woody Harrelson

Woody Harrelson will also be lending his voice to one of the Electric State’s many robots. Harrelson, best known for roles on shows like True Detective and movies like White Men Can’t Jump, is also set to reprise his role as Merritt McKinney in Now You See Me 3 in 2025.

Anthony Mackie

Captain America himself will be appearing in The Electric State, as Anthony Mackie is set to voice one of the many robots featured in the Netflix original film. Mackie, who will lead Captain America: Brave New World in early 2025, is also set to show up in Twisted Metal Season 2 at some point in the near future.

Brian Cox

Brian Cox will be lending his voice to one of the film’s animated characters, but we don’t know which one quite yet. The Succession star, whose voice can be heard in the McDonald’s commercials since 2020, is also set to appear in Netflix’s upcoming animated holiday movie, That Christmas in late 2024.

Jenny Slate

And then there is Jenny Slate, who’s also set to voice one of the animated robots in The Electric State. Slate, who famously voiced the titular seashell in Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, is no stranger to animated films as she’s also appeared in Despicable Me 3, Zootopia, and The Secret Life of Pets, to name a few.

What Is The Electric State About?

Upon announcing that Netflix had landed the streaming rights for The Electric State in June 2022, Deadline described the movie as one that will follow an orphaned teenager named Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown) as she traverses the American West in a retro-futuristic past in hopes of finding her long-lost younger brother. But she won’t be alone on this perilous journey through a vast wasteland, as Michelle will be joined by a “sweet but mysterious” robot and a drifter she meets along the way.

When Can We Expect The Electric State Trailer?

Netflix unleashed some great first-look images featuring Mr. Peanut in October 2024, but we have yet to see a proper trailer for The Electric State. So, when can we expect to see some footage? Well, with 2025 quickly approaching, it should be sooner rather than later before Netflix gives us a glimpse into the world of the latest Russo Brothers film. Maybe the streamer will put out a hype video for its 2025 movies before the end of 2024.

The Movie Is Based On Simon Stålenhag’s 2018 Graphic Novel Of The Same Name

Netflix has had a pretty decent track record with comic book adaptations, and the popular streaming service will look to keep that trend going with The Electric State, which is based on Simon Stålenhag’s 2018 graphic novel of the same name. When announcing the movie back in 2020, Deadline described the book as a “re-imagined low-tech apocalyptic mid-'90s vision of the American West” that featured “stunning visual artwork.”

The Electric State Will Be The Sixth Collaboration Between The Russo Brothers And Screenwriters Christopher Markus And Stephen McFeely

Including the yet-to-be-released The Electric State, The Russo Brothers have teamed up with the screenwriting team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely a total of six times over the course of the past decade. Since working together on Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014, they've created some of the best moments in the MCU, which translated into continued box office success in which each movie made more than the one before. Even after the Russos finished their work with the MCU, the foursome stuck together, crafting the 2022 Netflix action spectacle, The Gray Man.

The Russo Brothers and McFeely will also team up again in the next few years for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars,  which will feature Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. However, Markus is not working on those projects, for now anyway.

Production On The Electric State Wrapped In February 2023

Though we don’t know exactly when The Electric State will land on Netflix, the movie has wrapped production on physical photography. In February 2023, the ABGO Films Instagram account shared a series of images showing the Russo Brothers and other members of the production team celebrating the conclusion of shooting along with the final clapperboard of the shoot.

There is still an undisclosed amount of post-production work to be completed in the months to come, so don’t count on seeing a trailer for The Electric State for quite some time.

What Is The Electric State Rated?

It should come as no surprise, but The Electric State will have a PG-13 rating upon release. According to Filmratings.com, the MPA gave the upcoming Russo Brothers movie the rating based on violence, language, and “thematic material,” but didn’t disclose exactly what that meant.

Millie Bobby Brown Has Described The Electric State As ‘A Live-Action WALL-E’

If you’re looking for even more reasons to be excited about The Electric State, comments made by Millie Bobby Brown in an interview with CinemaBlend in March 2024 will do the trick. During a chat with Sean O’Connell prior to the release of Damsel, Brown compared the dystopian sci-fi flick to one of the best Pixar movies, saying:

Judging by what we’ve read of the movie’s tone and the aesthetic quality of its visuals, this comparison is on point. Hopefully, this also means The Electric State will have an emotional story that resonates with audiences.

Expect to hear more about The Electric State in the coming weeks and months, especially when it comes to the first trailer. In the meantime, check out the 2024 movie schedule, which includes some titles that can only be watched with a Netflix subscription. 

Between the Extraction franchise and budding universe for The Gray Man, directors Joe and Anthony Russo have their hands full with plenty of Netflix productions. And their work with the entertainment company is far from done. The sibling filmmaking duo has already lined up another movie with the streamer in the form of upcoming movie The Electric State. This is primed to be a high-profile motion picture and, unsurprisingly, an all-star cast that includes Hollywood heavy-hitters like Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt has been assembled.

The Electric State was announced by the Russo Brothers back in 2017 and is based on Simon Stålenhag’s graphic novel of the same name. The book was adapted for the screen by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who worked with the directors on Marvel films like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Endgame.

The movie is set during the 1990s of an alternate United States, in which a civil war has broken out between humans and robots. It tells the story of a young woman who receives a robot from her brother and, ultimately, the heroine and her machine embark on a journey to find her sibling. An eclectic assortment of actors are helping to bring this story to life and, for your convenience, we’ve listed them here.

Millie Bobby Brown

Millie Bobby Brown is set to play the lead character, Michelle, who’ll face dangers in an attempt to find her brother. Though she's not quite 21 yet, the fan-favorite star has been acting for nearly a decade now. However, she truly broke through in 2016 through her Emmy-nominated role as Eleven in Netflix’s highly popular sci-fi series Stranger Things. She’s since parlayed that notoriety into a budding film career and has already starred in the MonsterVerse movies Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong. Brown also serves as the stars in and produces the Enola Holmes film franchise, in which she plays the titular fourth wall-breaking sleuth. She's also in the fantasy flick Damsel. One would expect the star to bring her signature wit and charm to this latest role.

Chris Pratt

Playing the role of Keats is Chris Pratt. The character is described as a smuggler that Michelle meets during her travels. Many fans likely still recognize Pratt for his role as Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation, and others may even remember him for his role on Everwood. He’s come a long way since then, though. In the early days of his film career, the star took on supporting roles in films like Wanted, Zero Dark Thirty and Her. It was in 2013, however, that he emerged as a leading man, thanks to his role as Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy. From there, he’s starred in the Jurassic World franchise, The Lego Movie and its sequel, The Magnificent Seven and The Tomorrow War, just to name a few. He also voiced Nintendo's beloved, mustachioed plumber in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and voices the lead role in The Garfield Movie.

Giancarlo Esposito

Any film or TV production would be lucky to have Giancarlo Esposito as a member of its cast. It would probably surprise no one to hear that the actor is set to voice a villainous drone known as Marshall. To say that Esposito has played a plethora of characters in his time would be an understatement. The seasoned performer is famous for his roles in classic Spike Lee films like School Daze and Do the Right Thing and also gained recognition for his roles in The Usual Suspects, Waiting to Exhale, Ali and much more. But his most famous character, however, is arguably drug kingpin Gustavo “Gus” Fring, who he played on Breaking Bad and its spinoff prequel series, Better Call Saul. Right now, Esposito also starred (as villainous characters) on Star Wars series The Mandalorian and superhero show The Boys.

Anthony Mackie

For this cinematic endeavor, Joe and Anthony Russo will be reteaming with Anthony Mackie, who they worked with on the Captain America and Avengers films. The actor has been tapped to voice a sentient robot, who’s described as an ally to Chris Pratt’s character. Mackie has been a Hollywood actor for quite some time, as he made his acting debut as “Papa Doc” in the 2002 drama film 8 Mile. The A-lister has also starred in acclaimed films like Half Nelson, Million Dollar Baby and The Hurt Locker. In 2014, he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the role of Sam Wilson/The Falcon, who took on the mantle of Captain America in 2021’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Mackie will reprise that role in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World. On the small screen, he's also the lead of the Twisted Metal series.

Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton has collaborated with the Russos before, as he starred in The Gray Man. In that film, he played a veteran CIA agent and, for this upcoming sci-fi production, he’ll voice a key figure in the civil war, who just happens to be a robot. Thornton, like many of his co-stars, has a resume that speaks for itself. His body of work includes Sling Blade (which won him an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay), One False Move and Armageddon. Of course, who could forget his turns in Friday Night Lights, The Alamo and Monster’s Ball. He’s an elder statesman within this ensemble and can certainly bring a level of gravitas.

Stanley Tucci

Speaking over capable veterans, Stanley Tucci also stars in the movie, and his role has yet to be revealed. The always-delightful actor has an extensive filmography that’s stuffed to the brim with notable big-screen productions. During the ‘80s and ‘90s, the actor appeared in Prizzi’s Honor, A Midsummer’s Night Dream among other films. And by the 2000s, Tucci landed roles in Road to Perdition, The Terminal, The Devil Wears Prada and The Lovely Bones, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The viral sex symbol’s visibility has expanded into blockbuster fare over the past decade, such as Captain America: The First Avenger, the Hunger Games franchise and some Transformers films. Though he hasn’t forgotten his dramatic or comedic roots as evidenced by Easy A, Burlesque and Spotlight. He's also starred on the Russo brother-produced Amazon show Citadel, which called upon him to perform a brutal scene.

Ke Huy Quan

Fresh off his Oscar-winning performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once, Ke Huy Quan is joining the Russos for their next cinematic outing. Quan is said to be playing a doctor that Millie Bobby Brown’s character must locate. And interestingly enough, the actor replaced Michelle Yeoh, his co-star from the aforementioned movie, in the role, as she dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Quan is widely loved by so many, who remember him for his iconic roles in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies. Though he’d star in a few movies like Breathing Fire and Encino Man in the years that immediately followed, Quan was forced to step away from acting due to a lack of opportunities. After spending years as a successful stunt choreographer, he began to act again a couple of years ago, starting with Finding ʻOhana. As mentioned, he gave a strong turn in Daniels' multidimensional dramedy and played a role in Disney+’s American Born Chinese, and Quan is also starred in Loki Season 2 and has the action film With Love.

Jenny Slate

Jenny Slate makes for another strong addition to this cast. The star will reportedly lend her voice to a CGI character, who I’d wager is a robot of sorts. Slate is a student of comedy, who possesses a strong improv background, and that arguably helped her land a spot in Saturday Night Live’s Season 35 cast. After working on the show for one season, she went on to star in other high-profile shows, from Parks and Recreation and Kroll Show to House of Lies and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She’s also been featured in Gifted, Venom, I Want You Back and other movies. Slate has a particularly strong reputation in the realm of voice acting through Bob’s Burgers, Big Mouth, Zootopia, The Lego Batman Movie, and so much more. She absolutely broke viewers’ hearts in 2022 with her performance as the titular character in Marcel the Shell with Shoes On and will lend her voice to The Ark and the Aardvark.

Jason Alexander

Another intriguing pick-up for the film is veteran actor and comedian Jason Alexander, who’s been cast in an undisclosed role. A widely beloved star, Alexander began his career as a stage performer before making the jump to TV. It was in that medium that he’d find his signature role, that of the bumbling, but well-meaning, George Costanza on Seinfeld. Alexander has appeared on countless shows in the years since the hit NBC sitcom ended. Curb Your Enthusiasm, Star Trek: Voyager, Two and a Half Men and The Orville are just a few of his credits. In terms of film, he’s held roles in flicks like Pretty Woman, Coneheads and Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Woody Norman

Amid the flurry of Hollywood veterans, Electric State will also showcase some up-and-coming talent in the form of Woody Norman. The 13-year-old English actor is set to play the younger brother of Millie Bobby Brown’s character. Though he hasn’t been in the industry as long as his peers, Norman does have some respectable credentials. When it comes to TV, he’s appeared on Starz's The White Princess and the BBC’s Poldark along with a few other programs. He truly broke out in 2021 as a result of his role in the Joaquin Phoenix-led drama C’mon C’mon. He also played a supporting role in the 2023 horror flick The Last Voyage of the Demeter. Norman’s going to need to bring it for the Russos’ sci-fi film, as his character is definitely crucial to the plot.

 Martin Klebba 

Like many of his co-stars, Martin Klebb has certainly been around the block in Hollywood. He’s done stunt work on a myriad of films from Van Helsing and Evan Almighty to Zombieland and Hancock. He even served as a mo-cap performer on 2015’s Jurassic World. However, moviegoers probably know him best for playing Marty in four of the five Pirates of the Caribbean movies. He’s not done with the House of Mouse, either, as he’s also set to appear as Grumpy in the upcoming Snow White film. While his role in the Russos’ sci-fi film is currently unknown, I have no doubt Klebb will put in a solid effort as per usual.

Brian Cox

So why don’t we end this list with one more veteran: Brian Cox. The name by itself is pretty intimidating. Reports point to the celebrated actor, like some of his co-stars, is said to be voicing a CGI character. Where to even begin with Cox’s career? He’s an acclaimed stage veteran, who was praised for his turn in King Lear. His filmography spans various genres and includes movies like The Long Kiss Goodnight, Rushmore, X-Men 2, Zodiac, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Churchill. (Hold up, I need to catch my breath.) More recently, he’s captivated audiences through his Emmy-nominated performance as the cold and calculating Logan Roy on HBO’s Succession. Given his body of work, I could see Cox playing a villain in the Russos’ film, but that may not end up being the case. Whatever the case, let’s hope it’s a role he can sink his teeth into.

The Electric State debuts on March 14 amid the 2025 movie schedule and, if you're aiming to check it out, be sure you have an active Netflix subscription.

The internet has become a wonderful palace where people can share their art and one thing that we see often is an artistic rendering of how a particular actor might look playing a famous role. However, what would happen if a popular movie was directed by somebody else? One digital artist has imagined what The Avengers would look like if it was directed by Wes Anderson, and even the Russo Brothers are impressed. 

Wes Anderson certainly has a unique aesthetic when it comes to his films. He has a particular use of color and blocking that really exemplifies the phrase “every frame a painting.” So we can probably all sort of imagine what Wes Anderson’s Avengers would look like, even if the idea is clearly bizarre. Digital artist Adam Hall put exactly this together, and the Russo Brothers shared the images, saying it’s actually a movie they want to go see. 

This art is pretty amazing. It’s A.I. assisted art, but even most of the work posted by this artist looks like it was drawn, not like it was posed with real people. If this can be accomplished with this technology it seems likely we will begin to see a lot more of this sort of thing from other artists. 

It certainly doesn’t look much like the MCU that we know. Part of the idea is that not only would this be a Wes Anderson directed Avengers but it would be one from decades before the movie actually came out. As such, what really sets this all apart is the use of costumes that look much more real than the largely CGI creations we get in the actual films.

In the end, this whole idea is probably best as still images. The real thing, if it was attempted, probably wouldn’t end up as creative and bizarre as these pictures look. At the same time you want to see this because in addition to looking amazing the dialogue in this movie would likely be incredible. 

The first batch of images proved so popular, largely due to the Russo Brothers boosting the signal, that the artist Adam Hall created some additional shots that are just as good as what came before. 

And who knows, the multiverse is real, right? That means that somewhere there is probably a Marvel Cinematic Universe that looks like this. We’ve seen Star Wars as interpreted by anime artists, so perhaps we could see Marvel characters given a similar treatment with other filmmakers. It feels unlikely that Wes Anderson would be interested in tackling the Avengers, but who knows, crazy things happen sometimes.  Maybe there's room for a one-off special in Marvel's upcoming Phase 5.

Comparing the Russo Brothers to the Super Mario Bros is not something that likely ever would have crossed my mind until I saw Chris Pratt’s Instagram story. But, nevertheless here we are, someone has photoshopped Mario and Luigi hats and mustaches onto Anthony and Joe Russo, and I can’t look away. 

With The Super Mario Bros. Movie trailer being released, we got our first looks at lots of beloved characters including, Princess Peach, Toad and Mario’s brother Luigi. This movie has been highly talked about and memed for a while now, but this joke takes the cake for me. This is because the Avengers: Endgame directors do kind of resemble the two plumber brothers from the iconic video games. Check it out: 

Not only does Chris Pratt have a hilarious sense of humor about the comparison, the Russo brothers also acknowledged the resemblance in a funny way, commenting on @agbofilms original Instagram post:  

Well, I highly doubt that is true, but they do low-key look like the iconic video game brothers, especially when you add the hats. I mean since Joe Russo is a bit shorter than Anthony Russo, along with this Photoshop job, I can totally see the resemblance, and I personally think it would be quite fun to see them pop up for a small cameo in the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie. 

Now, as for Chris Pratt, his casting in the upcoming movie has caused some controversy. People have not been a fan of Pratt doing an Italian accent for the movie, like the one Mario has in the games, but an actor in the film Khary Payton, clarified that Pratt is doing more of a New York, Italian accent. A producer on the film also commented on the backlash, saying they understand the complaint, and that Charlie Day, who is playing Luigi is Italian American. 

Despite the backlash, there is a lot of excitement surrounding this movie. I know I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the trailers and can’t wait to see it next year. Based on the Russos’ comment it seems like they’re also excited about the movie, and are in the mood for the silliness it’s bound to bring. 

If you’ve watched the Marvel movies in order, you’ll know that the brothers have worked with Pratt a few times on Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, so I’d imagine they’re all for supporting the actor on his latest project. 

Along with The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Pratt is also starring in one of the major upcoming Marvel movies this year. He’ll reprise his role as Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is scheduled on the 2023 film schedule for May 5 about a month after the release of the Mario movie.

So, while we await this highly anticipated video game adaptation to come out on April 7, you can go back at watch both the Russo brothers’ Marvel movies, and Pratt’s MCU films as well with a Disney+ subscription. 

Top Gun: Maverick's Glen Powell and Bridgerton vet Regé-Jean Page may not outwardly seem like they have a lot in common. But they're both big parts of major franchises that amassed audiences around the entire globe, they're genial and fun to watch both on-screen and off, and they're both ab-solute eye candy for audiences. So there's no doubt bazillions of people with Amazon Prime subscriptions will be pumped to know that Powell and Page are teaming up for a new streaming series to portray the iconic cinematic duo of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

This wildly exciting project is still in the early stages, so everyone keep those fingers crossed for the foreseeable future, but the currently untitled Butch and Sundance project landed a straight-to-series order from Amazon Studios, which beat out both Disney+ and Peacock, according to THR. The idea at this point is for Regé-Jean Page to take on the role of the outlaw gang leader Butch Cassidy (the alias of real-life train robber Robert LeRoy Parker), while Glen Powell would portray the loyal second banana the Sundance Kid (real name Harry Alonzo Longabaugh).

The new show will reteam Page with Anthony and Joe Russo, directors of the somewhat well-received Netflix sci-fi thriller The Gray Man, who serve as executive producers and spearheaders for this reimagining, and were also directly responsible for the aforementioned casting choice. While Powell hasn’t directly worked with the Russos before, their production company AGBO reportedly worked to get the Scream Queens vet on board in part because they all just like his work that much. No better way to land a job, I’d think.

Once the two stars were locked in behind the scenes, AGBO signed on The Eternals' co-screenwriters Kaz and Ryan Firpo to handle scripting duties for Butch and Sundance.  While no directors have been confirmed, it's worth noting that both Page and Powell will also get executive producer credits for the new show, and will be involved in the creative process in some capacity. At this point, it's believed that the show will take an alt-universe approach to the characters' reality, in a similar vein to other revisionist fiction such as the past Amazon effort The Man in the High Castle. 

This casting news may cause further Marvel rumors related to Glen Powell, who was at the heart of speculation that he was being courted to play X-Men leader Cyclops for the mutant team eventually breaking into the MCU. The actor has denied any such eye-popping conversations have happened, but working closely with the Avengers films' crafters and Eternals co-writers definitely won't deflect any future curiosity. 

No one would deny that the two stars have a mighty hill to climb when it comes to bringing Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid back to audiences. The original 1969 western, directed by George Roy Hill, starred two Hollywood icons in Robert Redford and Paul Newman, and has been showered with accolades over the years, from winning Oscars to landing in the National Film Registry.

Next up for Page is Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves alongside stars Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez, which ties into a completely different segment of pop culture fandom. Meanwhile, Powell previously signed on to co-write and star in Richard Linklater's action drama Hitman, which is still in pre-production mode. 

At this point, there’s no release date set yet for the untitled Butch and Sundance series, and it's not been determined how many episodes the initial season will be, but our 2022 TV premiere schedule is a quick route to learning everything that does have an upcoming debut, while there are plenty of other great Prime Video series already available to stream. 

Ever since Chris Evans showed up in The Gray Man trailer to make life hell for Ryan Gosling’s CIA operative Court Gentry, audiences have been excited to see The Avengers actor’s turn as villain Lloyd Hansen. The Russo brothers’ adaptation of Mark Greaney’s book will be available to Netflix subscribers, and with the famed directors’ knack for bringing fun characters to life amidst thrilling action sequences, fans have hoped they’re in for a treat from the impressively mustachioed Evans. Well, the reviews are in, and indeed they’ve all got something to say about how The Gray Man turned “America’s Ass” into “America’s Asshole”

First reactions to the movie seemed promising, with early screenings prompting a lot of praise for both Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling (as well as the supporting cast). Let’s take a look at what critics are saying about Evans’ “trainwreck of a human being” Lloyd Hansen and the movie overall. We’ll start with the CinemaBlend review of The Gray Man, which Mike Reyes rates an impressive 4.5 stars out of 5. He praises the movie’s nonstop action and witty scripting, and says that even alongside a fully committed and impressive cast, Evans is a show-stealer: 

Peter Debruge of Variety agrees this big-budget summer blockbuster puts on a spectacular fireworks display, with Chris Evans as “flamboyantly over-the-top” as Ryan Gosling is understated. If the story is a little lacking, the film makes up for it with its cast, this review says:

Pete Hammond of Deadline calls Chris Evans’ role “game-changing” and says he proves he has the chops to pull off more challenging characters like Lloyd Hansen in style:

Hoai-Tran Bui of SlashFilm rates The Gray Man just 5 out of 10 and says the finished piece is less than the sum of its parts. This review says the “Tom Clancy knock-off” plot is salvaged only by its cast:

Some critics, however, say even the actors’ charm doesn’t save this one, with Siddhant Adlakha of IGN also rating The Gray Man a “Mediocre” 5 out of 10. In a movie that has “no unifying vision,” this critic says Chris Evans doesn’t leave a lasting impression, despite those fashion moments. From the review:

If you are excited to see the cat-and-mouse game between Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling, you don’t have to wait too long (or go too far). The Gray Man will hit Netflix on Friday, July 22, after a limited theatrical release on Friday, July 15. Be sure to check out some of the other best movies on Netflix, and you can also get a jump on planning your next trip to the theater by taking a peek at our 2022 Movie Release Schedule, and even see what films are coming our way in 2023.

Anticipation is high for the Russo Brothers’ latest movie, The Gray Man, and why wouldn’t it be? For one, it’s Anthony and Joe Russo of MCU blockbuster fame directing an all-star cast that includes Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Regé-Jean Page and more. Also, the story adapted from Mark Greaney’s book series has serious franchise potential (yes, we’re already talking about the possible sequel). Lastly, we can’t not mention Evans’ classic villain mustache. Netflix’s The Gray Man has screened ahead of its release to the streaming service, so let’s see what the first reactions are to the upcoming action thriller.

Ryan Gosling stars as former CIA Agent Court Gentry, a freelance assassin under the moniker the Gray Man, who is accused of a crime he may not have committed and is forced to go on the run and avoid capture by one of his former colleagues, Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans). The Russo brothers are masters at pairing witty dialogue with intense action sequences, so the banter between the two stars is anticipated to be highly entertaining. Critic Courtney Howard says The Gray Man fulfills those expectations, with fun performances from both the leading and supporting cast:

“Fun” seems to be a theme among those who got an early screening of the big budget action movie. We could see from the ass-kicking trailer that Chris Evans relishes his role as the man the directors have called “America’s Asshole.” Germain Lussier says The Gray Man is consistently fun and funny, and if the plot is a little obvious, it’s never not exciting:

Matt Neglia of Next Best Picture thinks this is a good popcorn movie, but might not stand up in direct comparison to other action franchises, despite the talented leads. He also notes that Ana de Armas is a badass:

This viewer agrees that Ana de Armas is impressive as Dani Miranda and in fact says she and longtime Bollywood actor Dhanush — who is making his Hollywood debut in The Gray Man — steal the whole show:

With The Gray Man going straight to streaming rather than theaters (though it will see a limited theatrical release), Netflix subscribers will have access to what this critic says is the perfect summer movie without having to leave the comfort of their own homes:

And while comparisons to other action flicks are to be expected, Joey Morona argues Chris Evans’ level of batshit evil is unrivaled.

The Gray Man will see a limited theatrical release on Friday, July 15, before debuting on Netflix’s streaming library on Friday, July 22. Be sure to check out some of the other best movies on Netflix while you’re there, and you can also get a jump on planning your next trip to the theater by taking a peek at our 2022 Movie Release Schedule, and even see what films are coming our way in 2023.

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo are sticking around the streaming realm! After delivering the Tom Holland-led Cherry to Apple TV+ subscribers, the duo turned their attention to The Gray Man, starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans. We’re less than a month away from what’s reportedly the most expensive Netflix movie being released on the platform, but the Russos have already lined up another Netflix exclusive movie, and Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown is involved.

Netflix has officially closed a deal with Joe and Anthony Russo to house their upcoming movie The Electric State. The movie stars Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven on Stranger Things, as an orphaned teenager living in a retro-futuristic past who travels across the American West searching for her younger brother with a sweet, but mysterious robot and an eccentric drifter. THR shared in its report on the big news that Chris Pratt, who the Russos directed in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, is in talks to join Brown in The Electric State, which is based on a 2018 illustrated novel by Simon Stålenhag.

The film adaptation of The Electric State was revealed to the public back in December 2020, but at the time, the plan was for Universal Pictures to release the movie. Clearly something changed, because over a year and a half later, now The Electric State has been set up comfortably at Netflix. Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who previously collaborated with the Russos on Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, wrote the script, and production is set to begin this fall.

In addition to their directorial work on The Gray Man and the upcoming The Electric State, the Russos also have ties to Netflix through the Extraction movies, with both Joe and Anthony Russo producing them, and the former writing the scripts. As for Millie Bobby Brown, along with her integral role on Stranger Things, she also played Enola Holmes’ title character in 2020, and is reprising the role later this year in, you guessed it, Enola Holmes 2. So The Electric State is keeping a good thing going with this talent.

As far as the near future goes, Millie Bobby Brown will be back as Eleven in Stranger Things Season 4 Vol. 2, a.k.a. the season’s final, super-sized episodes. Looking to The Gray Man dropping in late July, the Russo Bros’ next movie stars Ryan Gosling as Court Gentry, a CIA operative who’s forced to go on the run after learning dark secrets about the agency, with Chris Evans’ Lloyd Hansen leading the manhunt against him. Assuming The Electric State does indeed start rolling cameras in the fall, fingers crossed we learn soon if Chris Pratt has finalized a deal to star opposite Brown, along with any other major casting additions.

CinemaBlend will pass along any major updates on The Electric State’s development. Until then, check out what Netflix will deliver in the latter half of the year with our 2022 Netflix Movie schedule.

For someone as sweet as Marvel veteran Hugh Jackman, the man sure does have quite a couple feuds. One more might be added to the roster, as a recent interview for the upcoming movie The Gray Man saw both Russo Brothers admitting who they’d love to see play Wolverine in a future X-Men related project. Their choice is quite an interesting one and, if it pans out, we might get another round of Jackman ribbing a fellow former Marvel star; which is kind of what the world needs right now.

The Russo Brothers Would Love To See Chris Evans Play Wolverine

There’s no shortage of actors that have been pitched to play the next incarnation of James Logan Howlett’s heroic alter-ego. Most notably, X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn’s three suggestions saw Tom Hardy, Aaron Taylor Johnson, and perennial favorite Taron Egerton in the mix.

However, Chris Evans was officially named by Joe and Anthony Russo as their pick, during an interview with ComicBook.com. Here’s why the brothers think their former Captain America lead has the goods to pop some claws:

On a practical front, even facing down the confusion of a multiversal variant of Wolverine played by Chris Evans, this is something that could absolutely work. His previous role as the Human Torch in Fox’s pre-MCU Fantastic Four definitely didn’t stop him from playing Steve Rogers. While Evans’ fiery role has led to some fan love, Steve Rogers is by far the more iconic spot on his resume. 

Still, in the world of joke feuds, having Chris Evans and Hugh Jackman argue over whether he should even play the role or not is enough to make this latest dream casting a wonder to consider. But again, it’s not like Jackman needs any more comedic feuds for the world to catch up on, as one is still running and the other hasn’t quite developed just yet. 

Hugh Jackman’s Current “Feuds,” And How They Came About

Everyone knows the biggie in the world of the Aussie actor's “falling out” with other celebrities. The history of the Ryan Reynolds/Hugh Jackman “feud” has raged for some time, with fans, brands, and charities alike benefitting from the madness. Though if we were to compare this potential Chris Evans spat to something a bit more recent and applicable, we would have to look at Chris Hemsworth’s recent efforts compete with Jackman on another front.

Most recently, the God of Thunder himself called down some mighty words about trying to beat Hugh Jackman’s record for longest appearance as a Marvel hero on film. With six years to go by Chris Hemsworth’s estimation, he even mentioned the possibility of stealing a potential role for Jackman in Deadpool 3 to help his cause. No word has come back on what the previous Wolverine has to say on the matter, but it’s still early. 

Should Chris Evans choose to do so, he now has a way onto Hugh Jackman’s rolodex of fake feuds. It takes two to tango, at the very least, so it’ll be up to Logan’s iconic star to either take the bait or slash the line. Then again, if any of the other participants on his dance card decide to latch onto these remarks, that decision might be easier than it currently is. Also, it'll probably throw the "Best Chris" standings off a bit, so that's something to look out for as well. 

At the moment, Chris Evans can be heard in theaters, voicing the titular protagonist of Disney/Pixar’s Lightyear. Also, the once and current cinematic boy scout will be seen flexing his villainy muscles in one of this year’s many movies on Netflix, The Gray Man. That spy-fi globetrotter will be in limited theatrical release on July 15th, with its streaming debut landing a week later on July 22nd.

This time last year, Walt Disney Studios made the controversial decision to release its first Marvel movie since the COVID-19 pandemic in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access on the same day. It was the first and last time the House of Mouse did this for a Marvel Studios movie, especially following Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit against the studio for breaching their contract. In the aftermath of Black Widow’s release, Marvel director and producer Joe Russo has shared his honest perspective on the studio’s treatment of Johansson. 

Joe Russo, is one half of the Russo Brothers, who have worked with the actress on four Marvel films, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. After helming Endgame, which included the death of Black Widow alongside Captain America and Iron Man's storylines being wrapped, the Russos have moved away from Marvel to pursue original movies, like Extraction and the upcoming The Gray Man. Recently, Russo reflected on the Black Widow situation with these words: 

Black Widow had a solid opening weekend back in theaters in July 2021 and Disney boasted $60 million in Disney+ earnings, but Scarlett Johansson nor any other talent received backend payment for the earnings made on streaming. To make matters worse, Black Widow dropped nearly 70% at the box office in its second week, which is unheard of with Marvel. Black Widow’s disappointing $379 million worldwide box office total led to Johansson’s lawsuit. 

Initially, Disney had a scathing response to Johansson’s lawsuit, calling it “callous” amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. A couple months later, the lawsuit was settled between the two sides. Furthermore Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which featured a relatively unknown star and superhero, came out the following September and surpassed Black Widow’s numbers, making $432 million worldwide in theaters exclusively. 

Previously, it was reported by The Wall Street Journal, without cited sources, that the Russo Brothers were so upset by Disney’s treatment of Scarlett Johansson for Black Widow that they decided not to return to Marvel. Russo also said during his Den of Geek interview: 

The Russos have recently continued to work with Marvel stars on original movies outside of the superhero realm, such as with Tom Holland on Cherry, Chris Hemsworth on Extraction (which the Russo Bros produced) and the upcoming release of The Gray Man, with Chris Evans playing villain to Ryan Gosling’s black ops mercenary. That movie hits Netflix on July 15. 

For nearly a decade, Chris Evans was Captain America. The actor embodied the Marvel character in 10 appearances within the MCU (11 counting that time Loki impersonated Steve Rogers in Thor: The Dark World), but then in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, the character got his happy ending. It was the end of an era for the actor, but hew as able to work with Marvel directors Joe and Anthony Russo for their upcoming movie, The Gray Man. Except this time, Evans is going the villain route. The Russo Brothers have shared how their Cap became the action flick’s antagonist. 

Chris Evans knows how to play a hero, considering he previously played Johnny Storm/The Human Torch in the Fantastic Four movies, and is voicing Buzz Lightyear in this summer’s Pixar spinoff Lightyear, but lately he has changed up the narrative. In Knives Out, Evans played family prick Ransom Drysdale, and for The Gray Man, the actor has teased that his character is not only a great villain, but also a “trainwreck.” Joe Russo shared how he got the part:

When speaking to Den of Geek, The Gray Man filmmakers shared that Chris Evans disclosed to them his frame of mind moving forward with roles following his long tenure as Captain America. As it turns out, Evans really wants to challenge himself moving forward and perhaps take on roles that scare him or are the polar opposite of what he’s done before. Thus came Lloyd Hansen, and as the Russos recently quipped, they turned America’s Ass to America’s Asshole. 

The Gray Man, which is one of many Netflix upcoming adaptations based on books, Ryan Gosling stars as Court Gentry, a CIA black ops mercenary who is forced to go on the run after uncovering incriminating secrets about his agency. Evans’ Lloyd Hansen is his unhinged former colleague who leads the manhunt to capture him. Unlike Evans' other roles, the actor said Lloyd is “liberated, free and honest,” and a character he’s “never been able to play” in the past. 

The upcoming flick is reportedly the most expensive Netflix film ever made, with a production budget of $200 million. The Gray Man also stars Ana de Armas, Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfre Woodard and The Matrix Resurrections' Jessica Henwick. Chris Evans’ villain role will be available to stream with a Netflix subscription on July 22. 

Speaking of movies that may challenge Chris Evans, the actor is reportedly getting ready to portray Gene Kelly for a movie based on an original idea by the actor himself. After many years as Marvel’s most straight-laced hero, it’s great to see this new Evans era unfold. 

Marvel fans seem hellbent on Joe and Anthony Russo one day returning to the MCU. Some even have the dream project in mind. It’s understandable. The Russos are responsible for three of the most ambitious team up movies in the Infinity Saga: Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. If they wanted another crack at a Phase Four or Phase Five project, the door should be open… and the brothers appear to be keeping it open, as well. 

Joe Russo was attending the world premiere of Spider-Man: No Way Home in Los Angeles when he was stopped on the red carpet by ComicBook and asked if there have been any discussions about he and Anthony directing an adaptation of the Secret Wars storyline. Before we get into what that story entails, here’s what Joe Russo said about a potential return to Marvel: 

Such a political answer. But do you know what it isn’t? A denial. Joe Russo easily could have taken that opportunity to say, “You know, we had a blast  with Marvel, and it came at the perfect time in our career. But we directed Cherry, and we’re producing the Extraction movies, as well as many more dream projects. Let some other filmmakers tackle Marvel’s future!” Joe did the exact opposite. In fact, given the fact that No Way Home opened up a multiverse that could allow any other character to spill over into the MCU, he went to far as to push a pin into the potential Secret Wars movie by saying: 

Secret Wars would require a LOT of Marvel characters, which is part of the reason why many fans point to the story arc as one of the few that could prop up an Infinity Saga sized blockbuster. Especially because the Skrull-centric Secret Invasion is being told on Disney+ with Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn. There were two Secret Wars storylines told in the Marvel Comics over the years, with the second one being far more ambitious as it leaned on the multiverse. They both, in a nutshell, depended on the heroes of the Marvel universe teaming up to fight every villain (well, all of the major ones), and in the initial run, the battle took place on a far off planet where the contest was monitored by a mysterious being known as The Beyonder. 

A Secret Wars movie likely would have to be broken up into two parts, and would require the combinations of several characters from key MCU franchises. The emphasis could be on the cosmic side of the MCU, where Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Time Variance Authority, the Eternals (and all of their counterparts) and Adam Warlock could kick off the contest. But it would get interesting when top Marvel icons like Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and the new Black Panther get involved. Nevermind the introduction of the MCU Fantastic Four. Very exciting. 

If this happens, it will be several years away. Marvel’s slate is programmed through 2023, at the very least, and you know Kevin Feige has dates reserved for everything else for years to come. Keep up with what we know by bookmarking our Upcoming Marvel Movies guide, and checking it often.

It was clear ahead of Spider-Man: No Way Home’s release that this was going to be one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest movies narratively-speaking, but despite opening as the pandemic continues to affect movie theaters, the Web-Slinger’s latest cinematic adventure is now officially a box office titan. Just four days after its big screen premiere counting Thursday night screenings, No Way Home has collected over $600 million worldwide so far, making it the sixth highest grossing movie in 2021 at the time of this writing. Now Marvel directors Joe and Anthony Russo have shared their take on this outstanding performance.

With that $600 million+ haul, Spider-Man: No Way Home has the third highest-grossing opening weekend worldwide yet, trailing just behind Avengers: Endgame at #1 and Avengers: Infinity War at #2, both Russos Brothers joints. So it’s fitting that they humorously commented on this success with the following Twitter video congratulating Tom Holland and everyone else who worked on No Way Home.

Since Joe Russo and his brother can’t hang out with Tom Holland anytime soon, watching the Spider-Man performer at Disneyland’s Avengers Campus will have to suffice. It is worth noting that in addition to introducing Tom Holland’s Peter Parker to the MCU in Captain America: Civil War, the Russos also included Spider-Man as a major player in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. So although Spider-Man: No Way Home didn’t surpass either of those movies’ opening weekends (Infinity War scoring $640.5 million and Endgame scoring $1.2 billion), Holland’s Web-Slinger is still resting nicely in the top three.

This is just one of the many ways Spider-Man: No Way Home has shined financially in less than a week’s time. It pulled in approximately $50 million on Thursday night, making it the third biggest Thursday opening ever behind Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. No Way Home also ended its weekend run domestically at $260 million ($7 million more than what was initially reported), nearly triple what Spider-Man-related flick Venom: Let There Be Carnage made in early October. With all this happening in the span of a few days, I’m eager to see how much money No Way Home has raked in by the time its theatrical run is over.

In addition to having worked with Tom Holland on three MCU movies, Joe and Anthony Russo also directed the actor in the Apple TV+ movie Cherry, where Holland played a PTSD-afflicted Army veteran who robbed banks to fund his and his wife’s drug addiction. While the Russos are busy these days with a variety of projects, including Netflix’s The Gray Man and Amazon Prime Video’s Citadel, apparently Marvel Studios tried to court the directing duo back for another movie. If the Russos do indeed return to the MCU, specifically for another event comparable to their Avengers movies (like Secret Wars), maybe that will give them another opportunity to direct Holland as Spider-Man.

For now though, Tom Holland and the Spider-Man: No Way Home cast and crew can bask in the movie’s box office glory. If you haven’t already, be sure to read CinemaBlend’s review for No Way Home, and naturally we’ll let you know if/when it’s announced Holland will return as the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, along with any other major news about upcoming Marvel movies.

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For the first three Phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the characters frequently came into contact with the Infinity Stones, which were said to be the most powerful items in the galaxy. But when Loki premiered on Disney+, the TVA made it seem like they didn't even matter in the grand scheme of things. Now Avengers: Endgame’s Russo Brothers have hilariously responded to the series nerfing the Stones.

Both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame focused heavily on the Infinity Stones, with Thanos and the Avengers trying to collect them for different intentions. The Russo Brothers have since stepped away from the MCU, but they recently gave a killer response to the way the Infinity Stones were made the butt of a joke in Loki. Check it out below.

I guess we’re all clowns at this point. Clearly Phase Four of the MCU is making some wild changes to its canon, and that includes the importance of the Infinity Stones. Their power is now largely in the rear view, and it turns out that there are much bigger forces at play.

The above video comes to us from the TikTok of AGBO, a production company started by Anthony and Joe Russo. In it the filmmakers “duet” with another user, who is left pondering the insignificance of the Infinity Stones while sipping from an Infinity Gauntlet mug. The Russo Brothers raise the stakes as the filmmakers behind Avengers: Endgame, and rock their own pair of awesome Gauntlets. And all three participants used a filter to make them look like a clown.

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Seeing the Infinity Stones take such a hard fall in Loki was a shocking one for the generations of MCU fans out there. After all, the previous three phases of movies were collectively known as the Infinity Saga. But with the multiverse now in play, it seems that the property is expanding in seemingly endless ways.

Loki’s crestfallen face when he learned some TVA employees were using Infinity Stones as “paperweights” was one many fans could relate to. After all, both Natasha and Gamora died for the Soul Stone to be procured. What’s more, the power of the stones killed Tony when he sacrificed himself to end Thanos for good. Still, Loki nerfing the stones showed how we were in a very different MCU.

The MCU continues to expand on the big screen with Shang-Chi and the upcoming release of Eternals. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Ever since they were hired to direct Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Joe and Anthony Russo have been two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most important behind-the-scenes talent. The brothers returned to helm Phase 3 launcher Captain America: Civil War, and then they transitioned to the Avengers film series to oversee Infinity War and Endgame. While the Russos said back in April 2019 that Avengers: Endgame would be their last Marvel outing “for now,” word’s come in that the studio tried to court them back for another movie recently, so let’s start speculating about what it could be.

Actually, it’s important to set up some context first. As those who follow Marvel movie news closely know, Scarlett Johansson has sued Disney for simultaneously releasing Black Widow in theaters and on Disney+’s Premier Access tier, which resulted in the actress losing out on box office bonuses she was reportedly entitled to. As a consequence of this legal messiness, The Wall Street Journal reports that Joe and Anthony Russo “hit an impasse” in negotiations to direct another Marvel movie, as they became “unsure” about how this project would be distributed and how much they would be paid. The outlet also noted that the outcome of Johansson’s lawsuit could “help set new compensation benchmarks for digital releases” at Disney.

So right off the bat, it’s far from a sure thing at this moment that Joe and Anthony Russo will sign on for a fifth Marvel movie. If they can’t reach an understanding with Marvel Studios, the directing duo could just step away from the negotiating table and stay gone from the MCU. After all, it’s not like they’re lacking in projects right now. The Russos currently in postproduction on Netflix’s The Gray Man, as well as developing on the Amazon series Citadel and producing Disney’s live-action Hercules remake, among others things.

Whether Joe and Anthony Russo direct this mysterious Marvel movie or Marvel Studios brings aboard a different filmmaker (perhaps even another duo), the question remains: what is this movie? I imagine it would be something similar in scale to the last two Avengers movies, rather than the Russos handling a “solo” MCU movie. So in that regard, another Avengers movie seems to be the likeliest option, and that would undoubtedly be another major crossover event. Rumor has it a Secret Wars movie is in the works, and that could easily be adapted within an Avengers 5 framework.

But another possibility is that Joe and Anthony Russo were being looked at to direct a movie featuring a Marvel superhero group that’s just as famous as the Avengers, if not more so. We’ve known for years now that eventually the X-Men will be rebooted within the MCU, and with Marvel heading already hired Jon Watts, the man behind all the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man movies, to helm its Fantastic Four reboot, it’s easy to imagine the studio also wanting to look in-house director to handle introducing the team of mutants. Earlier this year, Joe Russo even addressed how difficult it will be to recast Wolverine following Hugh Jackman’s nearly two decades in the role.

Rest assured, if it’s officially announced that Joe and Anthony Russo will direct another Marvel movie, we’ll let you know. For now, you’re welcome to look through the upcoming Marvel movies guide to discover what the MCU is lining up for theaters in the coming years.

It has been quite the week for Spider-Man fans. The trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home was leaked last Sunday, prompting Sony and Marvel Studios to quickly scrub it from the internet. The trailer would officially be released the following day (to coincide with CinemaCon), to say that it caused hype among fans would be an understatement. As a result, the three-minute teaser trailer broke the viewing record previously held by Avengers: Endgame, and the Russo Brothers reacted to the trailer’s success.

The Spider-Man: No Way Home teaser trailer raked in a whopping 355.5 million views in its first 24 hours on the web. Avengers: Endgame's debut trailer previously held this record, with a 24-hour viewing record of 289 million views. Since they are the minds behind Endgame and two of the most influential directors of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was only fitting that Joe and Anthony Russo reacted to the massive trailer. Check out the Russos' Instagram post to see how they celebrated No Way Home's recording-breaking trailer:

It's fitting that the Russo Brothers would react to the trailer, as they have a special connection with Tom Holland's Spider-Man. Years ago, the filmmakers played a big part in casting him as Peter Parker for his debut in Captain America: Civil War. And that film would ultimately make the actor and the character a mainstay in the MCU. So for Joe and Anthony Russo, it must be gratifying to see that Holland and his take on the young hero has resonated with fans so much of the past few years. But how did Holland himself respond to the trailer drop?

Well, Tom Holland was actually on a plane when the trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home dropped, and he dropped a pretty enthusiastic reaction when he finally turned on his phone, and how could blame him? The trailer features Doctor Strange and Peter working together amid some seriously trippy visual effects. The multiversal nature of the film was on full display, and the implications it will for the MCU as a whole are exciting. Hopefully, the film lives up to the sky-high expectations before it.

Aside from Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus, the trailer also confirmed another major villain from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films is returning. During the trailer, hear Willem Dafoe’s iconic Green Goblin laugh. The film seems to be bringing multiple worlds and villains together, including Jaimie Foxx’s Electro (with potential others), indicating we might get to see a version of the Sinister Six. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are also rumored to return as their respective Spider-Men, which means we could finally see a live-action version of the infamous Spider-Man pointing meme.

Spider-Man; No Way Home is set to release December 17, and it can't come soon enough. Before its release though, you can catch Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on September 3, and Eternals, directed by Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao, on November 5. The MCU is back to churning out movies, and the fans are surely happy to have them back!

Netflix has been going at it hard when it comes to their original movies lately like Gunpowder Milkshake and the extremely awesome Fear Street trilogy. But their biggest production yet will be the upcoming The Gray Man, which still doesn’t have a release date. That said, the Russo Brothers have wrapped Netflix’s The Gray Man with Chris Evans. See how they celebrated:

For those who don’t know, the Chris Evans, Ryan Gosling action thriller is based off a novel series by Mark Greaney, who also co-wrote some of the Jack Ryan stories with Tom Clancy. He even continued the Jack Ryan storyline after Tom Clancy’s death back in 2013. But The Gray Man, which debuted in 2009 and has had 9 books since then, is a different beast entirely.

It’s about two trained killers named Court Gentry (played by Ryan Gosling in the film) and Lloyd Hansen (Played by Chris Evans). They both worked in the CIA together, and Hansen is now chasing Gentry around the world, which sounds really exciting. But what I’m most excited about is the fact that the Russo Brothers are working on it. This is their first feature length film since the blockbuster, Avengers: Endgame.

And while a movie about CIA killers doesn’t sound like it is of the same scope and magnitude of the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes battling their greatest threat, that doesn’t mean that the Russo Brothers aren’t taking the same go big, or go home approach with this new movie. The Gray Man has a budget of at least $200 million dollars, making it the costliest Netflix movie ever.

Still, some might say that Netflix would be better off not spending such large sums of money on original movies. Especially when buying the rights to older flicks, like the Twilight series, might be a wiser investment. Fans of the streaming service seem to love that stuff given the recent surge of viewers who have been watching or re-watching the popular franchise.

But as we’ve recently seen when paying close attention to Netflix’s Top Ten Content list, a lot of fans do watch the Netflix original movies on the popular streaming service. Extraction, which starred another Avenger in Chris Hemsworth, was a massive hit, and will be getting a sequel. And Zack Snyder’s recent, Army of the Dead, was also very popular.

Plus, Netflix has big plans for The Gray Man, as I’m sure they will want to adapt the other books in the series if this first one is a rollicking success. Really, you can look at it two ways. Should Netflix invest in original movies, or should they just spend more money on older popular movies and then put those on the streaming service? Given the popularity of Netflix original movies like Extraction and Bird Box, I think the answer is clear. But what do you think? Would you rather see more original Netflix movies, or a more robust library of older films? Sound off in the poll below!

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Shondaland’s Bridgerton was only dropped to Netflix last December but, since the scandalous period drama spent the following few months on Netflix’s top 10 list, leading man Regé-Jean Page has been quite busy. Even though he won’t be returning for Season 2 of Bridgerton, he will still very much be available for your streaming pleasure. In fact, he’s moving on with the MCU’s Russo Brothers in their upcoming film, The Gray Man, which Netflix already has the rights to. Now, Page has revealed the "freakiest" part of working on the film.

Regé-Jean Page’s killer performance and popularity on Bridgerton has left him very desirable in Hollywood, maybe even for iconic roles such as the next James Bond. While Page is glad that he managed to grab a role in the next Russo Brothers’ film, that major career step apparently comes with a few things. Page tells Variety, in a cover interview, that working with directors Joe and Anthony Russo is accompanied an element that can be challenging to deal with. Here it is in the actor’s own words:

I mean, this totally makes sense. The Russo Brothers are huge players in the Hollywood game, having been a major part of the MCU with their many Avengers and Captain America films, and that’s just part of their body of work. The filmmaking brothers have a slew of production titles still upcoming and are steadily adding to their directing portfolio, with The Gray Man just being one such film.

The Russo Brothers work with some heavy hitters, which will be the case for this newest film, as they are dipping into their Marvel talent pool. Regé-Jean Page will experience this actor crossover by acting alongside Captain America’s Chris Evans in The Gray Man and, even though Bridgerton certainly had its challenges for actors, Page does not have an extensive résumé like a number of his co-stars have. He’ll acting be alongside Hollywood titan Ryan Gosling and skilled veteran actors like Billy Bob Thornton and Alfre Woodard. Leading lady Ana de Armas may also be relatively new to the Hollywood scene, but she already has some big film titles under her belt, including the upcoming Bond film, No Time To Die.

With such big co-stars, high standards, and huge expectations, it’s no wonder Regé-Jean Page is having such an exciting time working on The Gray Man with the Russo Brothers and their cast of fantastic Hollywood icons. He should get used to it, though, because it looks like being a big name in Hollywood just may be Page’s new reality. The Gray Man has yet to confirm a release date, but you can be sure to see it streaming on Netflix right along with Season 2 of Bridgerton at some point in the future.

Actor Chris Evans has become synonymous with his acclaimed tenure playing Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s done a ton of action/ stunts as a result, no doubt getting bumps and bruises along the way. Evans reunited with The Russo Brothers for Netflix’s The Gray Man, and he recently shared some truly gnarly bruises from the set.

Filmmakers The Russo Brothers left the MCU behind after Avengers: Endgame, but they’ve continued working with superheroic talent like Tom Holland, Chris Hemsworth, and now Chris Evans. The Gray Man features a killer cast that will pair Evans with some A+ talent, but he’s also seemingly taking a beating. Check out the bruises below.

Ouch. It looks like Chris Evans’ role in The Gray Man will indeed be a physical one, likely requiring intense rehearsal and fight choreography. And while Evans knows how to pull off this type of a role, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel (and see) the after effects.

Chris Evans shared the above images of his bruises over on his personal Instagram account. The 39 year-old actor is super popular on social media, with posts ranging from personal, professional, and political. Anticipation for The Gray Man has been slowly building since the project was in development, but seeing Evan’s gnarly bruises is sure to turn a few heads.

While information about The Gray Man is limited since the upcoming Netflix movie is still in the midst of filming, The Russo Brothers assembled a ton of familiar faces to bring the assassin story to life. Joining Chris Evans are Ana de Armas, Ryan Gosling, Billy Bob Thornton, Bridgerton standout Regé-Jean Page, and Alfre Woodard.

From the little we know about The Gray Man’s plot, it makes sense that Chris Evans got involved in some hardcore action sequences-- walking out bruised as a result. The story will follow Ryan Gosling’s CIA operative Court Gentry, who is suddenly betrayed by the agency. Chris Evans’ character is sent to hunt him down, and plenty of wild action should follow.

The Russo Brothers helped to bring some of the most iconic MCU action sequences to life, like the elevator fight from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, or the epic Battle of Wakanda. But since then their action has been more rooted in reality, like the dizzying battles Chris Hemsworth brought to life with Extraction.

Of course, some Marvel fans are still hoping that Chris Evans might return to his role as Steve Rogers. While Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson has become the new Captain America, fans are eager to see what happened on Cap’s final mission returning the Infinity Stones and Mjolnir to their proper place in the timeline. But it doesn’t seem like Evans has any plans to take the shield back up anytime soon.

It’s currently unclear when The Gray Man will arrive on Netflix, but it’s clear that The Russo Brothers are happy pairing with the streaming service. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Joe and Anthony Russo have accomplished a lot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, imprinting their legacy within Marvel’s constantly expanding world of movies and now television. The Avengers: Endgame director’s greatest accomplishment outside of directing one of the biggest movies of all time might well be integrating Spider-Man into the MCU and establishing Tom Holland as a fixture in the MCU. Outside of the struggle of striking a deal with Sony, who owns the rights to Spider-man and getting Spider-Man on the MCU stage, the Russo brothers had to find the right actor for the job, and it turns out it was not an easy process.

Up until his MCU debut, Spider-Man had been portrayed by Tobey Maguire and then Andrew Garfield. The Russo brothers were tasked with finding someone who not only fit the description but was also totally believable as the new iteration of Spider-Man within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Finding Tom Holland seemed to be worth the wait, as the Russo Brothers told Inverse.com:

Tom Holland became the perfect fit for the Russo’s vision of the character that would debut in Captain America: Civil War. Holland has gone on to star in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home with a third installment, Spider-Man: No Way Home, which has recently wrapped filming. The success of Spider-Man in the MCU is primarily due to Tom Holland’s excellent portrayal of Peter Parker, and it’s clear the Russo brothers saw a unique quality in the actor that would someday transcend his work as Spider-Man. They also noted,

After zeroing in on Tom Holland as their pick for the MCU’s Peter Parker, the Russo brothers did meet resistance from Sony, who holds the rights to Spider-Man on the big screen. Even after the arduous process of finding the perfect actor in Tom Holland, the Russo brothers in fact had to convince Sony and Marvel that he was the right fit. Their insistence in casting Holland paid off big time for all parties involved.

The Russos and Tom Holland's careers are linked forever by Spider-Man. The trio was happy to reunite post Avengers: Endgame with Cherry, which stars Holland as a returning war veteran with PTSD, a substance abuse problem. With all of their shared success, It’s not hard to see the Russo brothers and Tom Holland working together for years to come.

As filmmakers, Joe and Anthony Russo are probably best known for their work with Marvel Studios but, after Avengers: Endgame, the directing duo are taking a stab at projects outside the superhero realm. Their most recent post-Marvel venture is Cherry, the crime and addiction drama starring Tom Holland. The Russos appear to have had plenty of support from their fans, but they’re also getting it from former collaborators. Robert Downey Jr. is among those who’ve seen Cherry, and he recently took to social media to share some kind words for the Russo brothers.

Robert Downey Jr. has been known to send out a sweet message or show generosity to colleagues, and he was certainly no different here. The former Iron Man actor previously expressed thoughts about the movie but, now, he’s aimed some praise directly at Joe and Anthony Russo and lead actor Tom Holland. Check Downey’s sweet Twitter post down below:

When it comes to Cherry, Robert Downey Jr. has been incredibly supportive. Not only has he been singing the film’s praises, but he even moderated a Q&A panel for the movie. It’s been great to see the support the Russos have been getting, but the fact that some of it is coming from their Marvel colleague makes it even sweeter.

Robert Downey Jr. and the Russos worked together for a number of years, with their working relationship beginning in earnest when Downey signed on to play Tony Stark in Captain America: Civil War. From there, they would also collaborate on the massive Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. During that time, Downey and the brothers showed plenty of support for each other in different ways, whether it was the Russos praising Downey as Iron Man or the actor trying to enforce the directors’ no-spoiler policies. You love to see this kind of bond between an actor and director(s).

Of course, you also can’t help but point out the fact that Robert Downey Jr. showed some love to Tom Holland as well. Downey has always been supportive of the young actor, praising his initial Spider-Man audition and marveling at how Holland has embodied the role. Likewise, Holland appears to have a soft spot for Downey, who seems to have become a mentor of sorts to him. Holland frequently reflects on their most notable Marvel moments together, and the actor has even revealed that he has a special nickname for Downey.

All of this love really makes me hopeful that Robert Downey Jr., Joe and Anthony Russo and Tom Holland will all reunite for another project one of these days. While their Marvel collaborations are great, it would be nice to see them all do something different. We’ll just have to wait and see if this comes to be.

In the meantime, you can stream Cherry now on Apple TV+.