Anthony Russo Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Filmmaker siblings Anthony Russo and Joe Russo are calling their deep-dish interview series, “Pizza Film School,” back into session after a nearly three-year break. In Season 2 of the video podcast, the Russo brothers sit down with fellow directors to talk about their favorite films, discuss the craft of making movies — and chow down on a couple slices of pies from local pizzerias. Guests for the second season include Zack Snyder, Nia DaCosta, Justin Chon, R.J. Cutler, Justin Lin and Emerald Fennell. The series is produced by their production company, AGBO. Season 2 will premiered April 11 with new two-part episodes dropping weekly exclusively on AGBO’s YouTube channel.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Last week, Amazon Studios/Prime Video senior VP announced that Chris Brearton was leaving Amazon “to pursue a new opportunity outside the company.” Now we know what that opportunity is: Brearton, who had most recently served as vice president of Prime Video Studios Corporate Strategy at MGM+ and MGM Alternative Television, has joined indie media company AGBO as a partner. At AGBO, he will join company leaders Anthony and Joe Russo (the directors who co-founded the company in 2017) and partner Donald Mustard.

Days after he left Amazon, Chris Brearton has found a new gig.

The third installment of the Sands: International Film Festival of St Andrews has set its slate, and that will include director Steven Soderbergh engaging in a conversation with directors Anthony and Joe Russo. I will moderate that discussion, which will touch on the preposterously unlikely way that Soderbergh discovered and godfathered the career of the duo that directed Hollywood’s all-time highest grossing film, Avengers: Endgame. The festival runs next month from April 19-21.

Naman Ramachandran Prime Video has revealed a title and the extended cast for the Indian instalment of “Citadel,” the espionage action series created by the Russo brothers. The Indian series within the “Citadel” universe will be called “Citadel: Honey Bunny.” As previously announced, Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu will lead the cast. Prabhu will play Honey and Dhawan portray Bunny.

EXCLUSIVE: Priyanka Chopra Jonas is set to star in The Bluff, the AGBO Studios and Amazon MGM Studios movie being directed by Frank E. Flowers. Prime Video’s The Boys Karl Urbanis in talks to star.

Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has shut down rumours that Robert Downey Jr. will return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).Speaking to Vanity Fair for a new profile piece on Downey, Feige has revealed that Marvel Studios will not be bringing back the Iron Man actor after the character was killed off in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.Feige said, citing Downey Jr.’s final performance as Iron Man: “We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again.

Robert Downey Jr. has completed his run as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Kevin Feige says the character will not be coming back.

AGBO announced the winners of their 48-hour filmmaking competition, “No Sleep ‘til Film Fest.” 

EXCLUSIVE: Steven Soderbergh has dedicated more than four decades to shaping his legacy in Hollywood as a director, cinematographer and producer. But instead of splurging on yachts or a home in the South of France, he is investing in the future of independent filmmaking by mentoring directors like Joe and Anthony Russo, Christopher Nolan and most recently Eddie Alcazar. He and Alcazar’s second collaboration (after 2018’s Perfect) is Divinity, which hits theaters nationwide Friday after debuting at the Sundance Film Festival.

Marvel director Joe Russo has seemingly taken a dig at Martin Scorsese over his box office success.The man behind Avengers: Endgame – which is the second highest grossing film of all time – uploaded a clip on Instagram which shows Scorsese addressing his dog as Oscar.The clip then cuts to Russo who says: “Argh look he’s got schnauzer, I love schnauzers and his name is Oscar which is really cute,” in reference to Scorsese’s Academy Award nominations over the years and his solitary win for his 2006 film The Departed.He then shows his own schnauzer dog, which he calls “Box Office” which is thought to be a clear nod to his and his brother Anthony Russo’s Marvel box office hit films.A post shared by The Russo Brothers (@therussobrothers)The clip comes after Scorsese has in the past taken several digs at Marvel movies.He previously described the movies as “not cinema”, while he also said more recently about the glut of comic book movies in cinemas: “The danger there is what it’s doing to our culture. Because there are going to be generations now that think movies are only those – that’s what movies are.”When the interviewer proposed many people already think that way, Scorsese agreed, adding: “They already think that. Which means that we have to then fight back stronger.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment Writer SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses some general plot developments in Season 2, Episode 2 of “Loki,” currently streaming on Disney+. For 30 years, Dan Deleeuw has worked in visual effects, from “The Mask” to “Armageddon” to “Night at the Museum” — but he always had a dream that one day, he might get to direct.

AGBO has announced the return of their filmmaking competition, No Sleep ‘til Film Fest, inviting filmmakers from all over the world to make a short film in only 48 hours. Part of AGBO’s commitment to championing emerging content creators, the two-day festival challenges participants to make bite-sized films, three minutes or less, for a chance to win prizes and mentorship from the independent studio.

Anthony Mackie will soon hold the distinction of playing not one but two iconic Marvel superheroes, with his previous character — Falcon — picking up Steve Rogers’ shield to become the next Captain America, a transition that will come to fruition in next year’s “Captain America: Brave New World”.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Anthony Mackie revealed in a new interview with Inverse that he wrote Marvel Studios multiple letters asking to play Black Panther before he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Sam Wilson/Falcon. Mackie figured the only prominent Black superhero Marvel might develop a movie for is Black Panther, so he put all his cards on playing T’Challa. “I had been contacting Marvel a lot about Black Panther,” Mackie said. “I had written them letters. I was trying to find a way to make them make Black Panther. And I wanted to be Black Panther because growing up I fucking loved Black Panther.” Mackie landed a meeting with longtime Marvel producer Nate Moore and directors Joe and Anthony Russo, who were developing “Captain America: The Winter Solider” at the time. No one told Mackie what part they were meeting him for at the time, so he just presumed it was for Black Panther.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter AGBO, an entertainment company founded by directors Anthony and Joe Russo, is partnering with Slamdance to establish a showcase for aspiring filmmakers. The summer showcase, held in downtown Los Angeles this August, will include programs dedicated to digital, interactive and gaming work, stand-up comedy, screenplay workshops and short films. “Slamdance has been a wonderful partner and we are happy to be expanding our relationship to our Downtown LA campus. Our mission to offer our campus to help showcase emerging talent is a perfect opportunity,” said Angela Russo-Otstot, Chief Creative Office at AGBO.  

Charna Flam Chris Hemsworth’s hit action franchise, “Extraction,” is getting a third adventure. The action star and director Sam Hargrave made the announcement at Netflix’s Tudum event on Saturday, following the June 16 premiere of “Extraction 2.” The first two films center on black ops mercenary Tyler Rake (Hemsworth). In the first film, Tyler takes on a mission to save an Indian crime lord’s son, but it pushes him to the brink of death. “Extraction 2” picks up with Tyler recovering from the assignment, but then he decides to embark on another risky task in order to save the family of a famed Georgian gangster. Hargrave, whose directorial debut was the first “Extraction,” has lent his stunt expertise to the franchise’s second film as well. The stuntman-turned-director stunned fans with the sequel’s use of a singular shot for a 21-minute action sequence.

Extraction 2” comes in, with the director (also a stuntman and choreographer, though not on this film) returning after 2020’s first “Extraction,” a film (reportedly) received so well by the audiences that the filmmakers changed its ending and made a survivor out of its mercenary (anti)hero, Tyler Rake.Written by Joe Russo from a story by him, Anthony Russo and Ande Parks (also the creator of the source graphic novel, “Ciudad”), “Extraction 2” feels meatier in its action-packed set pieces than its predecessor, with Chris Hemsworth’s approachable and brawny Rake giving puppy avenger John Wick a genuine run for his money when it comes to high-kicks and knockouts. (Speaking of puppies, let’s not forget to mention that Rake’s sweet dog and pet chickens make it through this new mayhem in one piece.)All that said, “Extraction 2” largely skipping theaters for a quick sprint to streaming feels like a massively missed opportunity for Netflix.

Chris Hemsworth is back on the red carpet for the latest premiere of Extraction 2!

The next chapter in the Russo Brothers’ global spy thriller Citadel now has an official title and a first-look photo of its lead, Matilda de Angelis.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Prime Video has announced that “Citadel:Diana” will be the title of the next installment of the “Citadel” Spyverse franchise and released a first look image of rising Italian star Matilda De Angelis who is its central character. De Angelis made her international breakthrough in Susanne Bier’s “The Undoing,” alongside Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant.  Prominent Italian shingle Cattleya, which is part of ITV Studios – and known for standout shows such as “Gomorrah” – produced “Citadel:Diana” which was created and filmed in Italy, where production wrapped earlier this year. Plot details are being kept under wraps though a tease of the next chapter in the “Citadel” Spyverse is featured at the end of the final episode of the first “Citadel” season.

“Citadel” Season 2, making him the latest filmmaker to tackle an entire season at once. Prime Video announced the news alongside confirming what’s been known for a few months: “Citadel” is returning for a second season.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International It’s (finally) official: Prime Video has greenlit Season 2 of “Citadel,” with Joe Russo set to direct the entire season. The first season of the spy drama, which premiered in April, had a number of directors attached, including Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Jessica Yu and Newton Thomas Sigel. On Season 2, however, it will be solely Joe Russo on directing duties, with David Weil returning as showrunner. Prime Video has also revealed that its big-budget original — which stars Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and features Lesley Manville and Stanley Tucci — is its second most-watched new original series outside the U.S. behind “Rings of Power” and its fourth most-watched program worldwide.

Netflix has dropped a new trailer for explosive action-thriller Extraction 2, which sees Thor star Chris Hemsworth return as contract killer Tyler Rake.

As the release date for “Extraction 2” gets closer, Netflix has unveiled a brand new trailer for the action sequel.

Citadel, the long-in-the-works global spy thriller drama from Amazon Studios and the Russo Brothers’ AGBO, is eyeing the biggest debut for a series on the streamer based on original IP.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Anthony and Joe Russo conquered the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the record-breaking blockbuster “Avengers: Endgame” (their fourth Marvel movie after “Captain America: The Winter Solider,” “Captain America: Civil War” and “Avengers: Infinity War”), and it turns out the “Star Wars” franchise could’ve been next. During an appearance on the “Smartless” podcast (via Total Film magazine), Joe Russo confirmed that the brothers had early talks about signing on for Marvel president Kevin Feige’s “Star Wars” movie. The project has since been shelved. “We love ‘Star Wars,'” Joe Russo said. “Kevin Feige is a huge ‘Star Wars’ fan, and there were some early conversations about maybe teaming up with Kevin to do ‘Star Wars.'”

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “Guardians of the Galaxy” writer-director James Gunn revealed in a recent interview with ComicBook.com that Zoe Saldana’s Gamora was nearly killed off in 2017’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” about a year before the character met her demise in “Avengers: Infinity War.” According to Gunn, it was Marvel executives that talked him out of the decision. “Gamora almost died in ‘Vol. 2,'” Gunn said. “I knew from the beginning Zoe only wanted to play the character for so many years, and she’s been very honest saying that she’s done [after this]. And so I was going to have her die. I thought she was the one that was going to sacrifice herself…I was kind of talked out of it by Kevin [Feige] and Lou [D’Esposito], and then it just didn’t work that well. It didn’t feel right, it felt much more right to go where we go in that movie. That seemed what was correct for the story.”

Alison Herman TV Critic If “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” was Amazon’s attempt to supply its streaming service Prime Video with a homegrown version of “Game of Thrones,” the new spy series “Citadel” is its attempt at a “Squid Game,” “Money Heist” or “Love Is Blind”: a show with the global appeal to match the reach of its platform, and a potential franchise that could support international spinoffs. The idea originated not with a writer, director or producer, but with Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke, who approached AGBO, the production company of Anthony and Joe Russo, with a business plan in search of a creative concept. As with the underwhelming “Rings of Power,” that cart-before-the-horse approach can’t help showing in the final product. Also evident is a reportedly chaotic production that included extensive reshoots, a showrunner switch and a shortened episode order. There are traces of that turmoil in the credits; the pilot’s teleplay is attributed to no fewer than five screenwriters. But even if you aren’t the type to close-read an IMDb page, the origins of “Citadel” are obvious enough in the execution: a choppy, generic blockbuster-by-numbers with a nine-figure budget you’d never detect from the chintzy CGI.

EXCLUSIVE: Nick Nesbitt has been upped to Vice President of on the Studio Film Team at Netflix.

Prime Video), said she was on board for the project from the get-go.“When I met [executive producers Joe and Anthony Russo], they explained to me what this character was, they wanted to create a female spy that’s like James Bond. I was like, ‘Why would I not do that?’ Of course, I want to do that!” Chopra Jonas, 40, told The Post. Priyanka Chopra Jonas (who married Nick Jonas, 30, in 2018) is no stranger to TV viewers after crossing over from Bollywood to Hollywood to star in the ABC series “Quantico” and movies including “The Matrix Resurrections.” She said that “Citadel’s” status as an international show was especially appealing to her. “Jennifer Salke [head of Amazon Studios] and I were in a meeting and she talked to me about wanting to create this global show that actually connects multiple countries and multiple filmmakers and storytelling, with different cultures in one show,” she said “I was like, ‘Wow, no one has ever attempted that in TV or film, ever.'” “Citadel,” premiering April 28, has already been renewed for a second season and Prime Video is planning spinoff series in other countries and languages following various spies.