Russo Brothers recruited Steven Soderbergh to land Marvel gig

The Russo Brothers have been an undeniable force in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having helmed four of its biggest movies: the Captain America sequels and the last two Avengers movies. But their introduction to the MCU may not have happened without the help of an unlikely source: Steven Soderbergh.

When Captain America: Winter Soldier was looking for its director–or should we say directors–to replace Joe Johnston, Anthony and Joe Russo were more than interested. And so the Russo Brothers called up Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh to put in a good word with Marvel president Kevin Feige. “The Russos are friends of mine,” said Soderbergh. “Who knew when I first met them that this was what they loved to do and had a real feeling for? I didn’t know this until they called me and said, “We’re up for this Captain America movie [Captain America: The Winter Soldier]. Will you call Kevin Feige and say nice things about us?”

Soderbergh had one request before sending the Russo Brothers off to Marvel, telling the boys, “If you will answer me this one question: Is this something you’re dying to do or is it something someone told you you ought to be doing?” And they said, “Oh no, we have this massive comic book collection. This is our dream job.” And I said, “Oh, then of course I will.” This move landed the Russo Brothers their breakout gig, eventually leading them to helm four MCU movies, a current franchise record.

As far as whether or not Steven Soderbergh loves superhero movies or if he joins the ranks of Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and more, he gave a very safe answer. “The fact of the matter is: I’m not the audience for that. I never was. When I was growing up, I never had comic books. I’m not a fantasy person. I’m too stuck on the ground. So, I’m just not the target for that. I’m agnostic about them. I can tell you right now, just as a filmmaker, they’re really tough movies to make in terms of the stamina required.” Fair enough, Stevie, but we can’t help but notice you didn’t watch Captain America: Winter Soldier when it was released…

Are you a fan of the Russo Brothers’ work at Marvel? How do you think the franchise would be different without them? Let us know!