Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1097515
Family Dynamic O [ t h e d g a i n t e r v i e w ] By Robert Abele Brothers Anthony and Joe Russo went from no-budget indie underdogs from Cleveland to Marvel tentpole overlords, without sacrificing their storytelling vision ne way to look at the careers of dynamic co-directors Joe and Anthony Russo is to, well, marvel, at how a pair of Cleveland-born movie-nerd brothers went from the DIY indie world of the 1990s to network comedy in the 2000s to the biggest comic book brand—and hottest tentpole genre—in movies: the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This spring 's Avengers: Endgame, which follows their massive hit Avengers: Infinity War (2018), marks the culmination of a four-film, seven-year, billions-earning run with Marvel that has earned the Russos the rarefied status of acclaimed franchise stewards who include Christopher Nolan, James Cameron and Peter Jackson. But examined another way, the gang-that- couldn't-shoot-straight heist comedy Welcome to Collinwood (2002), the fractured-family silliness of their groundbreaking Emmy-winning pilot for Arrested Development, the misfit camaraderie that marked their style-establishing work on the sitcom Community, and the mix of humor, in-fighting and world-saving superhero teamwork that runs from Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) through Avengers: Endgame all point to a common truth: They've been telling ensemble stories their whole lives. It's just the budgets and stakes that have grown bigger. Sitting in the downtown Los Angeles offices of their company AGBO, which the pair started with the idea of creating a "storyteller-driven studio," the Russos dig into the mechanics of entertainments large and small, the ingenuity that doesn't have to be sacrificed to see a vision through, and the relationships that have helped them along the way. Whether it's been the antics of Arrested Development's Bluths or the power of the costumed and crusading, the brothers agree that the fortunes and follies of a tight-knit collective have always appealed to them, no matter the medium. "It's a critical through line in all of our work," says Joe Russo. "We grew up in a large Italian family, with a lot of colorful members, so we've always looked at the world as a family unit. Also, what family units can you create in your work environment?" Adds Anthony: "We like the idea of competing points of view in a single narrative. We keep being drawn to it." DGA QUARTERLY 37 PHOTO: COURTESY OF AGBO STUDIOS