The Russo Brothers Will Definitely Direct AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

So I'm on the phone with a source, talking about the Spider-Man casting rumor I just ran, when he says, "Oh shit. I just got an email. The Russos closed their deal to direct Infinity War." 

I first reported this to you guys back in November, and now I can tell you it's come to pass: Joe and Anthony Russo will follow up Captain America: Civil War by graduating to Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 and 2. The movies should shoot back-to-back in 2016 and 2017. 

There are no writers on it yet, but I'm told that Marvel is in talks with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the guys who wrote the three Captain America movies as well as did work on Thor: The Dark World and helped create Agent Carter. Basically it's about keeping the band together moving forward, with the Russos and Markus and McFeely all being really on the same page and working together well. I imagine that this will become official shortly.

The Russos stepping up to be the backbone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the rest of the decade is amazing news. Even if you don't think Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the best Marvel movie to date you have to acknowledge that it's in the conversation. And that was their first time with big action - they've been comedy directors in the past, and those two different sets of chops will help them as they take over this big, bustling team from Joss Whedon. What's more, I keep getting told that Civil War is instrumental in setting up infinity War, so it's great that the Russos will be able to bring their story all the way through to the end. 

What's exciting about these guys doing Infinity War is that we know they can do character, we know they can do action, and now we're going to get a look at how they do cosmos-spanning epic storytelling. From Arrested Development to the Infinity Gauntlet - good lord, what a range.