The directors of Avengers: Endgame have commented on whether they would direct a DC film.
Right now, one of the biggest questions in Hollywood is who James Gunn and Peter Safran intend to hire for their DCU reboot.
So far, several MCU stars have followed the Guardians of the Galaxy director from the red brand to the blue. But fans aren’t only interested in actors; they’re also curious about directors.
In a new interview, two of Marvel Studios’ most successful directors discussed their DC interests and how they would answer if James Gunn calls.
Avengers Director Says Directing for DC Is a ‘No-Brainer’
When ComicBook.com asked whether the Russo Brothers would direct a film for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU reboot, there was no hesitation in their response.
After Anthony Russo confessed “We don’t get asked a lot about DC characters,” Joe Russo admitted that with “James [Gunn] over there running it, it would be a no-brainer:”
“Obviously James over there running it, it would be a no-brainer. We love him to death. We love the direction he’s going to take that world in. You know he’s gonna be inventive with it.”
James Gunn and the Russo Brothers have a creative history with one another.
Gunn served as an executive producer on the Russo’s Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, both of which heavily featured Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
Prior to those Phase 3 blockbusters, the Russo Brothers helmed two other fan-favorite MCU films, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War.
As for which DC characters interest the directing duo the most, Joe explained his answer is “always based on the comics I collected as a kid.”
And, of the comics he listed, the only DC comic featured the Dark Knight himself:
“And favorite DC characters? I mean, man. There are so many good ones. I always answer based on the comics I collected as a kid, and the two comics I collected the most were Spider-Man — actually, the three — were Spider-Man. X-Men and Batman. But there have been a lot of iterations of Batman, so I feel like that’s an obvious answer.”
Anthony continued the Batman discussion, acknowledging that while the Caped Crusader was a childhood favorite, “it’s been well explored:”
“But, you know, it’s hard not to answer that. Here’s how you know we haven’t actually gotten literal about it and specific about it is because, yeah, Batman would be my favorite character for my entire childhood. But obviously, it’s been well explored.”
Interestingly enough, the tradition of exploring various iterations of Batman is only expected to continue in the coming years.
In addition to Matt Reeves’ The Batman 2, James Gunn and Peter Safran have already announced their own Batman movie, The Brave and the Bold. However, a director (or directors) hasn’t been announced just yet.
Why The Russos Should Direct DC’s New Batman
For anyone thinking the Russo Brothers were done with comic book movies, this interview just proved otherwise.
And, given their stellar track record with Marvel Studios’ Captain America and Avengers films, if James Gunn hasn’t already called them, he probably will now.
While, again, it’s true that Batman has “been well explored” in cinema, The Brave and the Bold is unlike any Caped Crusader film to date.
As Gunn and Safran revealed in January, this Batman flick will introduce the comic book Bat-Family into live-action via a “strange sort of father-son story” featuring Bruce and Damian Wayne.
Not only did the Russos seemingly reinvent what comic book movies could be with The Winter Soldier and Civil War, but both Infinity War and Endgame tackled complex family narratives.
Now that the former Marvel directors have made their interests known, it will be interesting to see what happens next.
Will James Gunn react or even confirm the news on social media? Or does he and Peter Safran have plans to make an announcement of their own?
