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Director on his plans for the modern-day Steve Rogers.
Earlier today at the TCA press tour, IGN TV's Eric Goldman spoke with former Community executive producer (and frequent Community director) Anthony Russo about what he and his brother Joe Russo have planned for Marvel's sequel Captain America: The Winter Soldier. First, we learned a bit about how the comedy duo was initially tapped to direct the upcoming comic book feature, as well as how Community was actually the launchpad for their recruitment.
"It sort of came out of the blue, but [Marvel] were big fans of Community," said Russo. "You can sort of draw a line between some things we did on Community and a Marvel movie. I think if you look at some of the big genre episodes -- you know, the paintball episodes, etc. -- there’s a cinematic sensibility being explored there that is in the language of those films."
Additionally, Russo noted that he and his brother's experience in television gave them a leg up with working in such an expansive franchise like The Avengers. "Marvel is a big company, and they’ve made a lot of movies. These narratives are connected to each other. That’s not typical for a feature film, but television people are used to that. There are seasons and seasons of a show, and the history is very important it, obviously... My brother and I were comic book geeks from a young age, and big fantasy geeks. We got to talk to [Marvel] in detail about that. They knew that we understood the brand and their characters really well. We were just incredibly passionate about the movie, and they felt that it was the right match."
While Russo wasn't allowed to divulge many details surrounding the Winter Soldier plot, he did describe some of his aspirations for the Steve Rogers character. "We’re trying to grow him as a character," he continued. "Certainly, he’s come a long way from where he started in World War II to where he is in modern-day America. So the character has room for growth because of that huge journey he’s been on, number one. Number two, the appeal of these movies is the ensemble. Captain America isn’t the only character in the film, and there are other characters that are perhaps lighter in nature."
Speaking of the ensemble, might we see any appearances from other Avengers, Peggy Carter or S.H.I.E.L.D. members? To that, Russo remained tight-lipped. "That’s something Marvel will shoot me for if I tell you," he joked.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier begins production early next year, with a release date set for April 4, 2014.
