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Russo brothers
American film and television directors From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Anthony Russo (born February 3, 1970) and Joseph Russo (born July 18, 1971), collectively known as the Russo brothers (/ˈruːsoʊ/ ROO-soh), are American filmmakers. They are best known for directing four films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU): Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). The pair are the third-highest-grossing directors of all time and their film Endgame grossed over $2.798 billion worldwide, briefly becoming the highest-grossing film of all time.
Prior to their Marvel work, the brothers directed and produced the comedy series Arrested Development (2003–2005), Community (2009–2014), and Happy Endings (2011–2012), winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Arrested Development. The brothers co-founded the independent film studio AGBO,"[1] which produced their Netflix directorial projects The Gray Man (2022) and The Electric State (2025). They also directed Cherry (2021),[2] and have produced several films through AGBO, including Extraction (2020) and Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), which won Best Picture at the 95th Academy Awards.
The brothers are currently directing the next two installments of the Avengers franchise, Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).
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Early life and education
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Anthony Russo (born February 3, 1970)[3][4] and Joseph Russo (born July 18, 1971)[4][5] were born to Patricia Gallupoli and attorney and judge Basil Russo in Cleveland, Ohio.[6] Both of their parents are of Italian descent,[7] with families emigrating from Sicily and Abruzzo, respectively.[6] After settling in Ohio, they raised Anthony, Joe, Gabriella, and Angela Russo, all of whom attended Benedictine High School.[8]
The brothers grew up regularly going to the Cleveland Cinematheque watching movies.[9]
After high school, Joe attended the University of Iowa, where he majored in English and writing and graduated in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in English.[10][11] He also had a short two-term stint studying abroad at the University of East Anglia in 1991 and became interested in acting after his professor encouraged him to write and perform a monologue for his class.[12]
Anthony attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in business before switching his major to English.[13]
After their time in England, Anthony and Joe enrolled in graduate programs at Case Western Reserve University, where Anthony pursued law, and Joe joined the university's acting program.
After Joe received his graduate degree in Theatre in 1995,[14] he attended the UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television, and Anthony attended Columbia University's film program. The brothers attended these two different schools to establish contacts on both east and west coasts and use the editing equipment to complete their first foray into filmmaking - their debut feature film, Pieces.[15]
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Career
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Indie filmmaking
The Russo brothers wrote, directed, and produced their first feature film, Pieces, which they also self-financed via student loans and credit cards. In an interview with Deadline, Anthony Russo said, "We were both in Cleveland and Robert Rodriguez had just made El Mariachi, and that inspired us. We were film buffs growing up, and his experience inspired us to make our own credit card film."[16]
Pieces debuted at the Slamdance Film Festival and caught the attention of director Steven Soderbergh. who described the film as "insanely ambitious and dense... I was just very activated by how activated they were and it was clear they were grinders."[17] Soderbergh reached out to the Russo brothers and, over a lunch meeting, offered to produce their next feature, Welcome to Collinwood. The Russo brothers were part of the Directors' Fortnight lineup for the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.[18] Joe and Anthony Russo's first feature, Welcome to Collinwood, was one of the few U.S. entries, and closed the fest.[19]
Television breakthrough
After their sophomore film, FX Networks executive Kevin Reilly hired the brothers to direct the pilot for the series Lucky, having liked the pair's work on Collinwood. They were also hand-picked by director and producer Ron Howard to direct the pilot for Fox's Arrested Development.[20] The Russos suggested Jason Bateman for the lead role of Michael Bluth.[21]
Producer Dan Harmon who hired the Russos to direct the pilot of his series, Community, in an interview with /Film, praised the Russos' ability to spot talent and cast based on character regardless of status in the industry,[22] crediting the Russo brothers with the idea to cast Donald Glover on the NBC sitcom, calling the brothers "geniuses in casting."[22] The brothers directed 34 episodes of Community, including A Fistful of Paintballs" and "For a Few Paintballs More," which served as the season two finale and received critical acclaim. Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx described the Russo brothers' installment as "nothing short of The Godfather Part II of sitcom episodes".[23]
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Their success with Arrested Development and Community put the Russo brothers on the radar of Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who brought them into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In 2014, the Russo brothers directed their first film for Marvel Studios, the action espionage thriller Captain America: The Winter Soldier starring Chris Evans as Captain America. The brothers were in the running against nine other directors to helm the film, which was the sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), directed by Joe Johnston.[24]
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Joe Russo explained that they were given the script and "fell in love" with the movie, creating storyboards, rewriting scenes, and presenting an animatic to Marvel to get the job.[25] The brothers noted The French Connection, Black Friday, Three Days of the Condor and All the President's Men as their influences in tone and style of the film.[26] The movie was a box office success and received critical acclaim, with Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly praising its tackling of serious subject matter and comparing it favorably to The Dark Knight (2008).[27] The film was a financial success earning $714 million worldwide.[28]
The Russo brothers returned to the MCU with Captain America: Civil War (2016), the success of which got them hired on their highest profile project to date; Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).[29] Infinity War would be the first superhero movie to gross over $2 billion at the box office. Endgame was the second superhero movie to surpass that same target, earning $2.799 billion in global box office. After breaking numerous box office records, the Russo brothers joined James Cameron as the only directors to make two films that earned over $2 billion.[30]
Their finale of Marvel Studios' Infinity Saga was, according to Patrick Burleigh, not only a financial success, but also "an incredible storytelling accomplishment."[31]
AGBO, criticisms, and return to Marvel
In 2017, the Russo brothers founded their production company, AGBO[32] with producing partner Mike Larocca. The following year, the brothers' longtime Marvel film collaborators Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely joined AGBO as Co-Presidents of Story.[33] The brothers made it a part of AGBO's mission to "support emerging talent and foster their creativity."[34] The brothers said they wanted to pay forward the kind of mentorship that Steven Soderbergh had given them and supported the directorial efforts of emerging creative voices through the studio.[35] Feature directorial debuts supported by AGBO and produced by the Russo brothers have included Mosul (2019) by writer Matthew Michael Carnahan and Relic (2020) by director Natalie Erika James.[36]
Another first-time filmmaker supported by the Russo brothers via AGBO was their long-time collaborator, Sam Hargrave, who directed Extraction (2020). Joe Russo adapted the film from Ciudad, a graphic novel he wrote with his brother and Ande Parks.[37] This was Hargrave's feature film debut and went on to be the most-watched original film in Netflix's history.[38] This film would spawn its sequel, Extraction 2 (2023), which Joe Russo also wrote. A third installment was announced in 2023.[39]
In 2019, the Russo brothers reunited with Marvel alumnus Chadwick Boseman when they produced the action-thriller, 21 Bridges. The brothers had approached Boseman about the film at the premiere of Infinity War.[40] Around this time, the Russo brothers also executive produced AGBO's first documentary series, Larry Charles' Dangerous World of Comedy.[41]
After the release of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the Russo brothers made a creative pivot to drama, directing the Apple TV+ film Cherry (2021), which was co-written by Angela Russo-Otstot. The film explores the opioid epidemic through the lens of a war veteran with PTSD played by Tom Holland. Anthony Russo said the film was personal for the brothers, as they have family members who have suffered and died from opioid addiction.[42] The Russo brothers turned their focus back to blockbuster action by directing the Netflix's The Gray Man (2022) starring Chris Evans, Ryan Gosling and Ana de Armas. Both Cherry and The Gray Man received negative reviews from critics.
The Russo brothers produced the film Everything Everywhere All At Once, written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert; it became A24's highest-grossing film worldwide at the box office[43] and won seven Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture.
In 2022, they executive produced Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story, which earned record-breaking viewership for Hulu,[44] and the science fiction horror series From. The following year they produced the series Citadel for Amazon, starring Richard Madden, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Stanley Tucci. Citadel received negative reviews, with much criticism directed toward the series 300 million dollar budget.[45][46][47] Despite this, the series was renewed for a second season, which was directed entirely by Joe Russo and is set to premiere in 2026.[48][49]
The brothers reunited with Netflix in March 2025 for the science-fiction action film The Electric State (2025) starring Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt and based upon Simon Stålenhag's original graphic novel. The film received extremely negative reviews, earning a 15% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Critic Lindsey Bahr of The Associated Press wrote of The Electric State, "it's lacking a spark and a soul that might distinguish it as memorable or special. Worse, considering everything it has going for it, The Electric State is kind of dull."[50] In a review of The Electric State, New York Post's Johnny Oleksinski noted that the Russo brothers' directing efforts after Avengers: Endgame were "some of the worst and priciest movies of the past six years"; he panned this particular film's lack of originality.[51] Despite this critical reception, the film debuted on Netflix as #1 in the platform's Top 10 upon its week of release.[52]
At San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024, Marvel Studios announced that the Russo brothers would return to direct Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027), and that AGBO would be co-producing the films.[53] Filming began in late 2024.
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Recurring collaborators
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Throughout the brothers' careers in television and film, they have consistently collaborated with many of the same actors and filmmakers.[54] Their most prolific creative partners are screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who wrote all four of the Russo-directed Marvel films (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame), as well as The Gray Man and The Electric State. Markus and McFeely currently serve as Co-Presidents of story at AGBO. Angela Russo-Otstot, a producer and screenwriter, is also a key creative partner. She has worked on numerous AGBO projects and serves as the company's Chief Creative Officer, overseeing development across film and television.[55]
On the filmmaking side, the Russos have repeatedly partnered with casting director Sarah Finn, who worked on all four Marvel films, as well as AGBO projects such as Mosul, Extraction, Cherry, The Electric State, and Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Musically, they have worked with composer Alan Silvestri on Infinity War, Endgame, and The Electric State, and frequently collaborate with composer Henry Jackman (Winter Soldier, Civil War, Cherry, The Bluff). Stunt coordinator-turned-director Sam Hargrave began his work with the Russos as Chris Evans' stunt double, and was elevated to 2nd unit director on Marvel films before making his directorial debut with Extraction and Extraction 2 under the AGBO banner.[56]
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Accolades
In 2004, Anthony and Joe Russo won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for the pilot episode of Arrested Development.[57]
In 2015, 2017 and 2019, they were nominated jointly for the Saturn Award for Best Director for Captain America: The Winter Soldier,[58] Captain America: Civil War[59] and Avengers: Endgame,[60] respectively. In 2015, 2019 and 2020, they were nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, respectively. All nominations were shared with writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.[61][62][63] They received Dragon Award nominations for "Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie" for Captain America: Civil War in 2016 and for Avengers: Infinity War in 2018. The brothers won the Dragon Award in that category for Avengers: Endgame in 2019.[64]
On February 21, 2025, the Russo brothers were honored with the handprint and footprint ceremony in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. They were joined by family, friends and colleagues Chris Pratt, Yvette Nicole Brown and Alison Brie.[65]
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Business interests
In January 2025, Joe Russo was announced as a board member and investor of English football club Sheffield United. The club was taken over by the consortium group COH Sports led by fellow American businessmen Steve Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy.[66] Joe was joined on the board of directors by former Cleveland Cavaliers CEO Len Komoroski and real estate figure Terry Ahern.[67]
Filmography
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| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
Film
Executive producers only
- Crashing (2007)
- Super Me (2009)
- A Merry Friggin' Christmas (2014)
- Dizzy Pursuit (2018)
- Relic (2020)
- All Fun and Games (2023)
Uncredited directors
- Ant-Man (2015) (Post-credits scene)
- Captain Marvel (2019) (Mid-credits scene)
- Thunderbolts* (2025) (Post-credits scene)
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) (Mid-credits scene)
Television
Other
- Fortnite Battle Royale - Chapter 2, Season 6 opening cinematic (co-directed, March 2021).[68]
Joe Russo acting credits
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See also
Notes
References
External links
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