Russo brothers
| The Russo brothers | |
|---|---|
 Anthony Russo (right) and Joe Russo at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con International | |
| Born | United States |
| Occupation | Film directors, producers, screenwriters, actors, film editors |
| Years active | 1997–present |
Anthony Russo and Joseph V. "Joe" Russo (collectively known as the Russo brothers) are American film and television directors. The brothers direct most of their work jointly, and also occasionally work as producers, screenwriters, actors, and editors. The brothers directed the superhero films Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Captain America: Civil War (2016), and will be directing Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and its untitled sequel (2019). They are also known for their work on the comedy series Arrested Development, for which they won an Emmy Award, and Community.
Biography
Anthony and Joe Russo were raised in Cleveland, Ohio, and attended Benedictine High School.[1] Their parents are Patricia and Basil Russo, an attorney and former judge.[2] Joe graduated from The University of Iowa and majored in English and writing. [3][4] The Russos were graduate students at Case Western Reserve University when they began directing, writing, and producing their first feature, Pieces. They financed the film with student loans and credit cards.[5] After viewing Pieces at a film festival, Steven Soderbergh approached the duo and offered to produce their next film, along with his producing partner George Clooney.[5] This project was the crime comedy Welcome to Collinwood, starring William H. Macy, Sam Rockwell, and Clooney.
FX network executive Kevin Reilly hired the Russos to direct the pilot for the series Lucky, having liked the pair's work on Collinwood.[5] Ron Howard was a fan of the pilot, and he had a hand in hiring the brothers to direct the pilot for Fox's Arrested Development.[5] The brothers won an Emmy for their work on the episode.
In 2006, the Russo brothers returned to film, directing the Owen Wilson comedy You, Me, and Dupree. The film grossed $140 million worldwide.[5] For the 2007–08 TV season, the Russos joined the crew of the ABC series Carpoolers as executive producers and directors. They served as executive producers and directors on the first several seasons of the NBC sitcom Community and the ABC series Happy Endings.
In July 2013, the brothers wrapped principal production on Captain America: The Winter Soldier, a superhero sequel for Marvel Studios; the film was released on April 4, 2014.[6]
The Russos cite the sitcoms M*A*S*H, Taxi, and Cheers as influences.[1] Their younger sister Angela Russo-Ostot also is in television, having worked as a writer and producer on V and Trust Me, among other series.[1]
In January 2014, the brothers signed on to return to direct the third Captain America film, Captain America: Civil War, which was released on May 6, 2016. In May 2014, they were announced to co-write and direct The Gray Man. In March 2015, the brothers were set to direct an all-male installment in the rebooted series of the Ghostbusters franchise, produced by Sony's new-founded production company, Ghost Corps.[7][8][9] However, as of March 2016, the Russos are no longer attached to the Ghostbusters project.[10] On March 23, 2015, it was confirmed that the Russo brothers will direct Avengers: Infinity War and its untitled sequel, which are scheduled for release in 2018 and 2019.[11] The brothers announced that they're financing the Los Angeles and Beijing joint-production company called Anthem & Song, producing the Chinese superhero movie The Hero’s Awakening.[12][13]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Credit(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Welcome to Collinwood | Directors Writers |
| 2006 | You, Me and Dupree | Directors and Actor (Joe Russo) |
| 2014 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Directors and Actor (Joe Russo) |
| A Merry Friggin' Christmas | Executive Producers | |
| 2015 | Ant-Man | Directors (post-credits scene, uncredited) |
| 2016 | Captain America: Civil War | Directors and Actor (Joe Russo) |
| 2018 | Avengers: Infinity War | Directors |
| 2019 | Untitled Avengers film | Directors |
| Year | Title | Credit(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Kiss, TheThe Kiss | Directors Producers Writers |
| 2006 | No. 6 | Producer (Joe only) |
| 2008 | Square One | Writer (Anthony only) |
| Carfuckers | Directors | |
| 2009 | Donkey Punch | Producer (Anthony only) |
| 2012 | Leader of the Pack | Producers |
| Year | Program | Episode(s) | Credit(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Lucky | "Calling Dr. Con" | Directors |
| 2003–05 | Arrested Development | Both: "Pilot" Anthony only: "Top Banana", "Key Decisions", "The Immaculate Election", "Spring Breakout" Joe only: "Bringing Up Buster", "In God We Trust", "Pier Pressure", "Marta Complex", "Shock and Aww", "Missing Kitty", "Hand to God", "Motherboy XXX", "Meet the Veals" |
Directors |
| 2004 | LAX | "Pilot" | Directors |
| 2004–05 | All episodes | Co-executive producers | |
| 2006 | Secrets of a Small Town | Failed ABC pilot | Executive producers |
| What About Brian | "Pilot" | Directors | |
| 2006–07 | All episodes | Executive producers | |
| 2007–08 | Carpoolers | Both: "Pilot" Anthony only: "The Code", "The Recital" Joe only: "Laird of the Rings", "What Would You Do?", "Down for the Count", "The Seminar", "A Divorce to Remember", "The Handsomest Man", "Lost in America" |
Directors |
| All episodes | Executive producers | ||
| 2008 | Courtroom K | Failed Fox pilot | Directors |
| 2009 | Untitled Family Pilot | Failed NBC pilot | Directors |
| Comedy Showcase | "The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret" | Directors | |
| 2009–2012, 2014 | Community | Both: Pilot Anthony only: "Introduction to Film", "Social Psychology", "Home Economics", "The Politics of Human Sexuality", "Physical Education", "Beginner Pottery", "The Psychology of Letting Go", "Basic Rocket Science", "Asian Population Studies", "Custody Law and Eastern European Diplomacy", "Biology 101", "Competitive Ecology", "Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism" Joe only: "Spanish 101", "Advanced Criminal Law", "Football, Feminism and You", "Debate 109", "Investigative Journalism", "Romantic Expressionism", "Pascal's Triangle Revisited", "Anthropology 101", "Accounting for Lawyers", "Cooperative Calligraphy", "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons", "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking", "Competitive Wine Tasting", "A Fistful of Paintballs", "Geography of Global Conflict", "Advanced Gay", "Documentary Filmmaking: Redux", "Geothermal Escapism", "Advanced Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" |
Directors |
| Seasons 1-3 and 5 | Executive producers, directors only (season five) | ||
| 2010 | Running Wilde | "Pilot" | Directors Executive producers |
| The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret | "In Which Claims are Made and a Journey Ensues" (original Comedy Showcase pilot, some footage reshot) | Directors | |
| 2011 | The Council of Dads | Fox pilot | Directors |
| 2011–2012 | Happy Endings | Both: "Pilot" Anthony only: "Barefoot Pedaler", "Blax, Snake, Home", "Secrets and Limos" Joe only: "Bo Fight", "Yesandwitch", "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre" |
Directors |
| Season one & season two | Executive producers | ||
| Up All Night | Joe only: "Cool Neighbors", "Working Late and Working It", "Day After Valentine's Day" | Directors | |
| 2012 | Animal Practice | Both: "Pilot" Anthony only: "Clean-Smelling Pirate" |
Directors |
| All episodes | Executive producers | ||
| 2015 | Agent Carter | Joe only: "Bridge and Tunnel" (as Joseph V. Russo) | Directors |
References
- 1 2 3 Luttermoser, John (August 29, 2009). "Anthony and Joe Russo put 'Community' on edge for NBC comedy series". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
- ↑ "'Captain America: The Winter Soldier': Directors Anthony and Joe Russo on landing in the Marvel universe and their love of '70s crime thrillers". cleveland.com.
- ↑ Alumni, University of Iowa. "Iowa Alumni Magazine: Captain Middle America".
- ↑ "Iowa has close ties to 'Captain America' series".
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Anthony and Joe Russo: Executive Producers/Directors". Community official site: "About/Bios" (NBC). Archived from the original on September 22, 2009.
- ↑ "Russo Brothers On For Captain America 2 - Movie News - Empire". empireonline.com.
- ↑ Kroll, Justin (May 28, 2014). "Sony Acquires ‘The Gray Man’ for Joe Roth and ‘Captain America’ Directors (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ↑ "Lucy Lawless Joins Ash vs. Evil Dead". Dread Central.
- ↑ Mike Fleming Jr. "Guy ‘Ghostbusters’ In Works With Russo Brothers, Channing Tatum & Drew Pearce - Deadline". Deadline.
- ↑ Barken, Jonathan (March 18, 2016). "The Russo Brothers ‘Ghostbusters’ is Confirmed Dead". Bloody Disgusting.
- ↑ Kit, Borys; Siegemund-Broka, Austin (March 23, 2015). "Russo Brothers to Direct 'Avengers: Infinity War' Parts 1 and 2". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 23, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ↑ Brzeski, Patrick (March 13, 2016). "Russo Brothers Launch Studio to Produce Chinese-Language Films (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ Frater, Patrick (May 10, 2016). "‘Captain America’ Filmmakers Announce Chinese Superhero Project". Variety.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Russo brothers. |
- Anthony Russo on IMDb
- Joe Russo on IMDb