The Russo Bros. Almost Quit Marvel Studios Over Ending of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR
As you know, Joe and Anthony Russo ended up doing some incredible things with the films that they directed for Marvel Studios. They told some great and epic stories, but at one point during their time at Marvel, they almost quit.
According to a new book titled The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, by Tara Bennett and Paul Terry, the directors almost quit because of the ending of Captain America: Civil War.
While the Russo Bros. were shooting the finale that involved Captain America and Iron Man fighting each other, the Marvel Creative Committee came in and wanted to change that whole thing up. They insisted that the two Avengers reunite to fight Baron Zemo and his squad of super soldiers in the film's final act.
The Marvel Creative Committee were actually demanding that the filmmakers make the change and apparently, they had never made demands like that before. As you might imagine, this put the Russos in a frustrating situation where their vision of the story was being compromised, and they were ready to quit and walk away because they weren’t interested in giving in to the demands of the committee.
Luckily, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige sided with the Russos, and the debate went all the way to Disney's Chief Creative Officer Alan Horn, who also agreed with the filmmakers. Joe Russo said, "We reached a point where we said, out loud in a room, 'We're not interested in continuing as directors of this movie if it is going to be about managing politics and a third act.”
Anthony Russo added, “And I think Kevin was very energized by that. And also, maybe it gave him some leverage in the situation, because we were so clear about our point of view."
Luckily, everything worked out and The Russo Bros. went on to direct Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, which was not an easy task. Most of the time, it’s the filmmaking committees like this that end up ruining movies. It’ll be interesting to see if the Russo Bros. ever come back to Marvel Studios to make another movie.
Source: CB