The Russo Brothers Are Juggling Two ‘Avengers’ Movies at Once, and It’s Nearly Breaking Them, Here’s Why

Marvel Studios has built an entire cinematic universe on scale, but even by its own standards, what the Russo brothers are currently juggling behind the scenes is unprecedented. Joe and Anthony Russo have long been the studio’s go-to directors for pulling off massive ensemble storytelling, dating all the way back to their television roots on shows like ‘Arrested Development’ and ‘Community.’

That instinct for managing sprawling casts and interconnected plotlines is exactly why Marvel brought them back for its biggest crossover event yet. Following the highs of ‘Avengers: Endgame’, which became the second highest-grossing film of all time with $2.8 billion in ticket sales, the Russos returned to a franchise that has spent years searching for that same cultural momentum.

Now, in a new interview, the brothers have confirmed that ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ has officially entered its editing and scoring phase, marking a major milestone as the film heads toward its December release. Even more surprising, the Russos revealed they’re simultaneously beginning early groundwork on the film’s 2027 sequel, ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’, despite ‘Doomsday’ still not being finished.

Joe Russo didn’t shy away from describing just how demanding that overlap has become. “When you’re doing one of these movies it’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done,” Joe said in the interview. “When you’re doing two of them, it’s almost inconceivable. But it’s the second time around we’re doing two back to back,” he added, referencing the brothers’ similarly overlapping work on ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame’ years earlier.

That overlapping production schedule has the brothers splitting their attention between finishing ‘Doomsday’s editing and scoring while what they’ve described as “soft prepping” for ‘Secret Wars‘, which is scheduled to begin filming in mid-2026 ahead of its December 2027 release. Jeffrey Ford and Matthew Schmidt are handling editing duties on both films, while Alan Silvestri returns to compose the score, continuing his long-running collaboration with the franchise.

Beyond the demanding logistics, the brothers also addressed the pressure of returning to a franchise that’s experienced its share of turbulence since ‘Endgame’. Anthony Russo was candid about the weight of expectations riding on ‘Doomsday’s ability to help restore some of that earlier momentum.

“It’s a great question. It’s part of the unique challenge,” Anthony said, addressing whether the film could help right the ship for the wider MCU. “The thing that Joe and I have always appreciated about our collaboration with Marvel is: Our job isn’t to answer for the entirety of the MCU. We intersect it in a very specific way. It’s that intersection which is where we can make sense of things,” he explained, framing their role as more focused than fixing every storyline threading through the franchise.

Much of the anticipation surrounding ‘Doomsday’ also centers on Robert Downey Jr.’s surprising return to the franchise, this time as the villainous Doctor Doom rather than Tony Stark. Downey has reportedly said he wouldn’t have returned if the Russos weren’t directing, adding a get-the-band-back-together energy to a project already being positioned as one of the highest-grossing films ever made.

Filming for ‘Doomsday’ wrapped last September after production began in April 2025, all shot at Pinewood Studios in England alongside groundwork for ‘Secret Wars’. With editing and scoring now underway, the film remains on track for its December 18 release, closing out this chapter of Phase Six before ‘Secret Wars’ arrives the following December.

Given everything riding on ‘Doomsday’ to reinvigorate the franchise, it’s clear the Russos are treating this overlapping workload as just another chapter in their ongoing partnership with Marvel. Whether that ambitious approach pays off will become clearer once audiences finally see the finished film later this year.

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