Considering that Community fans were recently dealt a blow in the form of Dan Harmon’s departure as series showrunner—which may be worse than actual cancellation—any news regarding the cult T. show would be better in comparison (like, the announcement of World War III would only be slightly more depressing). But this semi-related piece of news is exciting—if slightly bewildering. Anthony and Joe Russo, known primarily for their work on Community and Arrested Development, have been hired by Marvel Studios to direct Captain America 2.
See, Community is one of my favorite television sitcoms since I’ve been born, and the fact that these guys have had their hands in some of the show’s best episodes is an obvious mark of excellence. However, the Russo Brothers are such a weird choice for this film, primarily because their knack for visual comedy isn’t exactly what I’d imagine for a star-studded superhero film.
Though it’s not as if Marvel Studios was the first to get indie talent for their mainstream blockbusters. Another costumed Avenger (coincidentally also a Marvel property) is being saddled with another director no one saw coming: 500 Days of Summer’s Mark Webb will be the brains behind July’s The Amazing Spider-Man (I like to think that the chief reason Sony hired Webb is because of his last name, and this makes me giggle). Was 500 a quality film? Sure. Was it proof that Webb could helm a multi-million dollar franchise? Not necessarily. Sure, the Spider-Man mythos might contain romance, but it doesn’t particularly prepare him for a film in which a radioactive costumed man zips along New York and deals with lizards, goblins, and feelings.
However, this is ostensibly the start of a trend where major film studios are looking for smaller talent, particularly those associated with television. And if we continue with apparent truths, there’s one major reason, really: Joss Whedon. Whedon has always been a known quantity among internet aficionados and pop-culture fiends, thanks to shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, but summer hit The Avengers made him blow up in a big way. Sure, Avengers’ success was inevitable as it was riding on a five-year hype-train, but that doesn’t mean it had to be a good film. Whedon gave Avengers a sense of prestige that only the Nolan Batman films had enjoyed, and suddenly, the superhero film genre wasn’t just throwaway popcorn films: comic-book nerds and fans alike were enjoying the film, and film critics were writing essay-length responses on why The Avengers worked so well, and dissecting the genius behind Whedon’s script.
That all had to have left a significant impression on Marvel Studios, their biggest film ever being greeted with both critical acclaim and a box office billion led by a director who had to have been significantly cheaper than a Christopher Nolan or a David O. Russell. Big names don’t often translate to big bucks—FOX learned this the hard way when Darren Aranofsky was involved in X-men Origins: Wolverine 2 and that blew up in their faces—and Whedon had to have been much easier to handle.
Still, the decision to hire Whedon makes some sort of sense: His works are typically of the “genre” variety (sci-fi, western, action), and Whedon has been involved in the comic-book scene for years; but the Russo Brothers’ involvement with Captain America 2 still leaves me puzzled. Community is great, but it’s as far away from a genre action film as you can get. And most of their work in film consists of low-budgeted comedy works—not exactly the kind of thing you expect for a film of this caliber.
Who knows? Maybe these two are what Captain America needs. As perfect a fit as Joe Johnston, director of the underrated The Rocketeer, seemed to be, the original film was one of the weaker movies of the Marvel stable. Perhaps the Russos’ natural talents in humor are exactly the shot in the arm a film like Captain America needs. And hey, anything that keeps Community in headlines is fine by me.
What do you think? Can the Russo Brothers pull off an incredible Captain America sequel? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Follow TVOlogy on Twitter: @TVology
Comments (0)
Be the first to comment!