The Avengers will have to assemble without Joss Whedon.
Marvel Studios has already tapped Joe and Anthony Russo to direct the third and fourth installments of the company’s biggest franchise, “Avengers: Infinity War, Part 1 and Part 2.”
That means Whedon, who helmed the first “Avengers,” the third-highest-grossing movie of all time, and the upcoming “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” won’t return to the cinematic superhero universe he helped build.
While the mammoth success of “Avengers” has been a boon for Whedon, the director told the Daily News in 2013 that handling a property that enormous is like staying ahead of an out of control train.
“The problem is that there’s so much that if you’re not on top of everything, you’re always in danger of having something turn out generic and uninspired or wrong for a character,” he said at the time.
The Russo brothers are fast becoming Marvel’s go-to super team behind the camera after the critical and fan acclaim for their eye for action on last year’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” The studio took a big risk with the pair considering their biggest previous credit were episodes of the sitcoms “Arrested Development” and “Community.”
They are also directing next year’s “Captain America: Civil War,” which will feature the titular star-spangled hero played by Chris Evans battling Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man.
Filming is expected to begin next year on both “Infinity War” segments, which will be shot back to back, sources told The Hollywood Reporter.
“Avengers: Infinity War, Part 1” is slated for a May 4, 2018, with the second half of the saga set to be released on May 3, 2019.
Based on the title, comic book fans can expect the team to face off against Thanos (Josh Brolin), briefly glimpsed at the end of the first “Avengers” and in “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
