On this one you were able to be involved from the beginning.
Joe Russo:Yes, absolutely.
We could conceive it from the beginning.
The process we did onWinter Soldierwas really specific as well.
Even though there was a script, there were a lot of changes after that.
For us as directors, everything has got to be in the script.
The more complete the script is, the better the jumping off point for everybody collaborating on the project.
Anthony Russo:Also, the crews are so enormous on these movies.
It helps to organize.
ForCivil War, were you jumping in during different points of the writing process while finishing upWinter Soldier?
Im not sure when they started working on that during the process for the previous Cap film.
There was no directive from Marvel whatsoever about where we should take it.
There was no assumption on anybodys partthe only assumption was that Captain America would be in the movie.
That was about it.
Joe:Oh, really?
Anthony: We knew it was coming but we didnt pitch that joke.
Joe:I think it was Kevins idea.
Maybe he read that interview or one of the guys told him.
ButCivil Warworked out okay.
Joe:It did.
Anthony:You were disappointed?
I was kind of disappointed, but its okay.
We get Spider-Man instead.
Were you involved with casting Tom and Marisa as Aunt May, too?
Joe:Oh, absolutely.
It was very important to us that this be our interpretation of the character.
We fought very hard for Tom Holland.
We auditioned all of the actors, Anthony and I.
Spent a lot of time working with them while everybody was in competition for the part.
We fell in love with Tom when he walked in the room, his interpretation.
Anthony:Heres the thing.
From our point of viewand all credit to Marvel and Kevin Feigefor structuring things like this.
They keep it very contained for us.
We get to do our work.
We get to make the movie we want to make.
Theyre of course our approval.
And they did approve our choice, so there was no issue there.
Were you able to do a lot of the Spider-Man stuff even before you had Tom?
you might theoretically do some of the stuff when hes in costume without having him in the costume.
Anthony:We did a little bit but heres the thing.
The actor brings such a
Joe:Personality.
Theyre very physical characters, they express themselves through action.
Same thing applies for a character like Spider-Man.
Also Chadwick Boseman was a great choice.
Anthony:Hes amazing and a very talented actor.
And hes a method actor.
He immersed himself in this role very specifically.
He has a history in martial arts that he was able to bring to his performance.
He was very instrumental in helping to build that character.
Were there any other parameters you had to follow?
When you watch that scene at the airport, its hard not to think, Holy crap!
I never thought Id see this in a movie ever.
Joe:Well, that was invaluable to us.
Again, I grew up collecting comic books.
When youre a kid, that stuff is so impressionable to you.
It has such an emotional impact to you, and thats really what that sequence is about.
The focus is always there, but were always thinking about possibilities as well.
Right, exactly, you’re free to put anybody in the comics that you want to.
Anthony:Yeah, definitely.
Its very complex and thats whats fun about them, is the ambition and scale of those movies.
Do any of the other filmmakers in between have to worry about what youre going to do?
Obviously, youve set up for a Spider-Man movie.
Some small handoffs here and there but nothing that impacts their stories.
One of the interesting things aboutCivil Waris that its a follow-up toWinter Soldierbut also continues on fromAge of Ultron.
Some people are even calling itAvengers 2.5.
Was it difficult to incorporate that stuff, knowing that you also had to resolveWinter Soldier?
Joe:At the end of the day, its focusing on Cap, right?
At the end of the day, our job was to focus on Cap.
You guys must be tapping into your young fanboy selves when developing these movies.
Is that someone you might be consideration or are there issues because of the name?
I mean, there will be no time inInfinity Warto do origin stories for characters.
Really, the job of that movie is to bring everything together thats come before.
When are you actually starting to shootInfinity War?
Joe:Yeah, its coming up.
Im so glad Marvel have found directors that can keep things flowing between the movies.
Joe:Well, and were comic book fanatics.
We love the world, we love the universe.
Have either of you seenBatman v Supermanyet?
Joe:We havent seen it yet, but were gonna see it.
Anthony:We will.
Joe:And weve been non-stop.
Do you think DC would ever be able to find their own Kevin Feige?
Joe:I dont know, to be honest.
Its not an easy task.
SPOILER WARNING for the next question/answer if you havent watched Civil War yet!
Joe:Civil Waris not over and…
Anthony:That was our intention.
Those are all questions that theyre going to ask in those movies.
So some ofInfinity Warwill be dedicated to resolving those issues?
Joe:Yeah,Civil Waris not done.
Its going to crossover intoInfinity War.
Captain America: Civil Waropens on Friday nationwide with previews on Thursday night.
