Joseph Russo

Anthony Russo (born February 3, 1970) and Joseph Russo (born July 18, 1971), collectively known as the Russo brothers ( ), are American filmmakers. They direct most of their work together, and their work has grossed more than $6.8 billion worldwide, making them the third-highest-grossing directors of all time. They are best known for directing four films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU): '' Captain America: The Winter Soldier'' (2014), '' Captain America: Civil War'' (2016), '' Avengers: Infinity War'' (2018), and '' Avengers: Endgame'' (2019). ''Endgame'' grossed over $2.798 billion worldwide, briefly becoming the highest-grossing film of all time.

The brothers have also worked as directors and producers on the comedy series ''Arrested Development'' (2003–2005), ''Community'' (2009–2014), and ''Happy Endings'' (2011–2012). They won a Primetime Emmy Award for ''Arrested Development''.

Early life and education

Anthony Russo (born February 3, 1970) and Joseph Russo (born July 18, 1971) were born to Patricia Gallupoli and attorney and judge Basil Russo in Cleveland, Ohio. Both of their parents are of Italian descent, with families emigrating from Sicily and Abruzzo, respectively. After settling in Ohio, they raised Anthony, Joe, Gabriella, and Angela Russo, all of whom attended Benedictine High School.

The brothers grew up regularly going to the Cleveland Cinematheque watching movies.

After high school, Joe attended the University of Iowa, where he majored in English and writing and graduated in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in English. He also had a short two-term stint studying abroad at the University of East Anglia in 1991 and became interested in acting after his professor encouraged him to write and perform a monologue for his class.

Anthony attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in business before switching his major to English.

After their time in England, Anthony and Joe enrolled in graduate programs at Case Western Reserve University, where Anthony pursued law, and Joe joined the university's acting program.

After Joe received his graduate degree in Theatre in 1995, he attended the UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television, and Anthony attended Columbia University's film program. The brothers attended these two different schools to establish contacts on both east and west coasts and use the editing equipment to complete their first foray into filmmaking - their debut feature film, ''Pieces''.

Career

Indie filmmaking

The Russo brothers wrote, directed, produced, and completely self-financed their first feature film, ''Pieces'', with student loans and their credit cards. The film was greatly influenced by the French New Wave, and their motivation to complete it was inspired by Robert Rodriguez after reading his book detailing how he made a movie for $7,000. In an interview with ''Deadline'', Anthony Russo said, "We were both in Cleveland and Robert Rodriguez had just made ''El Mariachi'', and that inspired us. We were film buffs growing up, and his experience inspired us to make our own credit card film."

''Pieces'' debuted at the Slamdance Film Festival and caught the attention of director Steven Soderbergh. An influential figure in independent cinema himself, Soderbergh was impressed by what the Russo brothers were able to achieve narratively on a limited budget. In an interview with the filmmakers at the Sands Film Festival in 2025, Soderbergh described the film, saying, "It was insanely ambitious and dense... I was just very activated by how activated they were and it was clear they were grinders."

After seeing their film at Slamdance, Soderbergh reached out to the Russo brothers and, over a lunch meeting, offered to produce their next feature. The Russo brothers then dove into a two-year cycle writing three scripts, one being ''Welcome to Collinwood'', which Soderbergh produced through Section Eight, the production company he founded with actor George Clooney. The film, a crime comedy starring William H. Macy, Sam Rockwell, and Clooney, was shot in Cleveland, Ohio, the Russo brothers' hometown.

The Russo brothers were part of the Directors' Fortnight lineup for the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. Joe and Anthony Russo's first feature, Welcome to Collinwood, was one of the few U.S. entries, and closed the fest.

Television breakthrough

After their sophomore film, the Russo brothers landed on the radar of FX Networks executive Kevin Reilly, who then hired them to direct the pilot for the series '' Lucky'', having liked the pair's work on ''Collinwood''. Following their work on ''Lucky'', director and producer Ron Howard hand-picked the brothers to direct the pilot for Fox's ''Arrested Development''. In an interview with ''/Film'', producer Dan Harmon praised the Russos' ability to spot talent and cast based on character regardless of status in the industry. This philosophy paid off when the brothers fought to cast Jason Bateman as the show's lead despite widespread skepticism at the time.

Harmon also credited the Russo brothers with the idea to cast Donald Glover on the NBC sitcom ''Community'', calling the brothers "geniuses in casting." The brothers directed 34 episodes of ''Community'' and were praised for playing an integral role in the series' success with their strong casting choices and implementation of cinematic storytelling into the format. Their creative voice was most evident in their episodes " A Fistful of Paintballs" and "For a Few Paintballs More," which served as the season two finale and received critical acclaim and notoriety. Alan Sepinwall of ''Uproxx'' described the Russo brothers' installment as "nothing short of ''The Godfather Part II'' of sitcom episodes".

These episodes put the Russo brothers on the radar of Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who subsequently brought them into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where they would eventually set the tone and build the narrative trajectory in the years that followed.

Marvel Cinematic Universe

In 2014, the Russo brothers directed their first film for Marvel Studios, the action espionage thriller '' Captain America: The Winter Soldier'' starring Chris Evans as Captain America. The brothers were in the running against nine other directors to helm the film, which was the sequel to '' Captain America: The First Avenger'' (2011), directed by Joe Johnston.

In an interview with ''The Hollywood Reporter'', Joe Russo described the pitch process which led them to win, explaining that they were given the script only after the initial meeting, and that they "fell in love" with the movie, creating storyboards, rewriting scenes, and presenting an animatic.

''The Winter Soldier'' subverted the superhero genre by exploring its narrative as a 1970s conspiracy thriller; the brothers noted '' The French Connection'', '' Black Friday'', ''Three Days of the Condor'' and ''All the President's Men'' as their influences in tone and style. The movie received critical acclaim, with Owen Gleiberman of ''Entertainment Weekly'' praising its tackling of serious subject matter and comparing it favorably to ''The Dark Knight'' (2008). The film was a financial success earning $714 million worldwide.

The Russo brothers continued to push the boundaries of the superhero genre by exploring complex political issues and morality in the third film of the ''Captain America'' trilogy with '' Captain America: Civil War'' (2016). As part of the journey to get the project made, the Russo brothers had to convince Robert Downey Jr. to essentially play the villain in a film that was not even titled after his iconic character, Iron Man. The brothers persuaded the star to sign on, and the film was a success both critically and commercially.

Following the film's success, the Russo brothers delivered their most significant contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date, '' Avengers: Infinity War'' (2018) and '' Avengers: Endgame'' (2019). ''Infinity War'' would be the first superhero movie to gross over $2 billion at the box office. ''Endgame'' was the second superhero movie to surpass that same target, earning $2.799 billion in global box office. After breaking numerous box office records, the Russo brothers joined James Cameron as the only directors to make two films that earned over $2 billion.

Their finale of Marvel Studios' Infinity Saga was, according to Patrick Burleigh, not only a financial success, but also "an incredible storytelling accomplishment."

AGBO

In 2017, the Russo brothers founded their production company, AGBO with producing partner Mike Larocca. The studio's stated mission is to deliver bold and innovative storytelling that entertains and inspires global audiences.

The brothers' AGBO family expanded in 2018 when longtime Marvel film collaborators Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely came on as Co-Presidents of Story of the company. They also brought their creative partner and sister Angela Russo-Otstot into the fold as the company's Chief Creative Officer overseeing all of AGBO's projects. The Russo brothers added two partners, gaming creator Donald Mustard and businessman and lawyer Chris Brearton in 2024.

Because the brothers had their start in the independent space, they made it a part of AGBO's mission to support emerging talent and foster their creativity. The brothers said they wanted to pay forward the kind of mentorship that Steven Soderbergh had given them and supported the directorial efforts of emerging creative voices through the studio. Feature directorial debuts supported by AGBO and produced by the Russo brothers have included ''Mosul'' (2019) by writer Matthew Michael Carnahan and ''Relic'' (2020) by director Natalie Erika James.

In 2019, the Russo brothers reunited with Marvel alumnus Chadwick Boseman when they produced the action-thriller, ''21 Bridges''. The brothers had approached Boseman about the film at the premiere of ''Infinity War''. Around this time, the Russo brothers also executive produced AGBO's first documentary series, ''Larry Charles' Dangerous World of Comedy''.

Another first-time filmmaker supported by the Russo brothers via AGBO was their long-time collaborator, Sam Hargrave, who directed ''Extraction'' (2020). Joe Russo adapted the film from ''Ciudad'', a graphic novel he wrote with his brother and Ande Parks. This was Hargrave's feature film debut and went on to be the most-watched original film in Netflix's history. This film would spawn its sequel, ''Extraction 2'' (2023), which Joe Russo also wrote. A third installment was announced in 2023.

After the release of ''Avengers: Infinity War'' and ''Avengers: Endgame'', the Russo brothers made a creative pivot to direct the Apple TV+ crime drama ''Cherry'' (2021), which was co-written by Angela Russo-Otstot and delved into the devastating impact of the opioid epidemic through the lens of a war veteran with PTSD played by Tom Holland. Anthony Russo said the film was personal for the brothers, having family members who have suffered and died from opioid addiction.

The Russo brothers turned their focus back to blockbuster action by directing the Netflix's ''The Gray Man'' (2022) starring Chris Evans, Ryan Gosling and Ana de Armas. Both ''Cherry'' and ''The Gray Man'' received mostly negative reviews.

Also under the AGBO banner, the Russo brothers produced the film ''Everything Everywhere All At Once'', written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. When released in theatres in March 2022, it became A24's highest-grossing film worldwide at the box office. The movie won seven Academy Awards that year, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture.

In 2022, they executive produced '' Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story'', which earned record-breaking viewership for Hulu,
and the science fiction horror series ''From''.

In 2023, the Russo brothers brought their narrative approach, refined during their time working with Marvel Studios, to produce ''Citadel'', starring Richard Madden, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Stanley Tucci. Joe Russo was announced as the director of all episodes of the show's second season, set to premiere in 2026.

In 2025, the Russo brothers executive produced '' The Legend of Ochi'' and are producing the upcoming AGBO films '' The Bluff'' and '' The Whisper Man''.

At San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024, Marvel Studios announced that the Russo brothers would return to direct '' Avengers: Doomsday'' (2026) and '' Avengers: Secret Wars'' (2027). Marvel Studios will co-produce these next two installments with AGBO.

In March 2025, the duo reunited with Netflix for the science-fiction action film '' The Electric State'' (2025) starring Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt. Expanding upon the storytelling in Simon Stålenhag's original graphic novel, the brothers said they wanted to create their own look and tone, and built over 100 large-scale colorful sets and original robot characters. To date, the film is the worst-reviewed film of their career, receiving a 15% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Lindsey Bahr of ''The Associated Press'' wrote, "It's lacking a spark and a soul that might distinguish it as memorable or special. Worse, considering everything it has going for it, The Electric State is kind of dull." In a review for the film, ''New York Post''s Johnny Oleksinski noted the Russo brothers' directing efforts after ''Avengers: Endgame'' as "some of the worst and priciest movies of the past six years"; he panned the film's lack of originality. Despite this critical reception, the film debuted on Netflix as #1 in the platform's Top 10 upon its week of release.

Recurring collaborators

Throughout the brothers' careers in television and film, they have consistently collaborated with many of the same actors and filmmakers. Their most prolific creative partners are screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who wrote all four of the Russo-directed Marvel films ('' Captain America: The Winter Soldier'', '' Captain America: Civil War'', '' Avengers: Infinity War'' and '' Avengers: Endgame''), as well as ''The Gray Man'' and '' The Electric State''. Markus and McFeely currently serve as Co-Presidents of story at AGBO. Angela Russo-Otstot, a producer and screenwriter, is also a key creative partner. She has worked on numerous AGBO projects and serves as the company's Chief Creative Officer, overseeing development across film and television.

On the filmmaking side, the Russos have repeatedly partnered with casting director Sarah Finn, who worked on all four Marvel films, as well as AGBO projects such as ''Mosul'', ''Extraction'', ''Cherry'', ''The Electric State'', and ''Everything Everywhere All At Once''.

Musically, they have worked with composer Alan Silvestri on ''Infinity War'', ''Endgame'', and ''The Electric State'', and frequently collaborate with composer Henry Jackman (''Winter Soldier'', ''Civil War'', ''Cherry'', '' The Bluff''). Stunt coordinator-turned-director Sam Hargrave began his work with the Russos as Chris Evans' stunt double, and was elevated to 2nd unit director on Marvel films before making his directorial debut with ''Extraction'' and ''Extraction 2'' under the AGBO banner.

Philanthropic initiatives

In addition to producing the films of up-and-coming filmmakers, the Russo brothers run a number of initiatives through AGBO that provide artists and storytellers with access to mentorship, funding and professional guidance designed to nurture the next generation of visionary creatives.

Because the Slamdance Film Festival played such an integral role in launching the Russo brothers' careers, they maintain a strong relationship with the organization through AGBO, providing funding for grants, providing mentorship through the studio and hosting a two-day Slamdance Summer Showcase since 2022.

Another similar initiative backed by the Russo brothers is No Sleep 'til Film Fest (NSTFF), a 48-hour global filmmaking competition designed to empower and spotlight emerging storytellers of all experience levels by inviting them to create short films within a single weekend based on a single unique creative prompt from AGBO. Winners receive mentorship from the production company along with prizes from creative partners, all aimed at supporting and encouraging them to grow as storytellers and continue advancing in their creative journeys.

In 2022, Joe Russo and the University of St Andrews co-founded the Sands International Film Festival of St Andrews, a three-day celebration of global cinema in the historic Scottish town. This initiative is dedicated to supporting emerging filmmakers and connecting them with professionals in the broader community. Participants in the festival have included Steven Soderbergh, Stanley Tucci, Karen Gillan, Tom Holland and Alan Silvestri.

The Russo brothers also collaborate with the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA) through both AGBO and the Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum (RBIAFF) Fellowship, a program which assists rising filmmakers to create films about the Italian-American experience and awards production grants to selected applicants.

Accolades

In 2004, Anthony and Joe Russo won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for the pilot episode of ''Arrested Development'', which they directed together.

In 2015, 2017 and 2019, they were nominated jointly for the Saturn Award for Best Director for '' Captain America: The Winter Soldier'', '' Captain America: Civil War'' and '' Avengers: Endgame'', respectively.

In 2015, 2019 and 2020, they were nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form for ''Captain America: The Winter Soldier'', ''Avengers: Infinity War'' and ''Avengers: Endgame'', respectively. All nominations were shared with writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

They received Dragon Award nominations for "Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie" for ''Captain America: Civil War'' in 2016 and for '' Avengers: Infinity War'' in 2018. The brothers won the Dragon Award in that category for ''Avengers: Endgame'' in 2019.

In 2019, the brothers were named "Directors of the Year" by CinemaCon.

On February 21, 2025, the Russo brothers were honored with the handprint and footprint ceremony in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The brothers were joined by family, friends and colleagues they had worked with throughout the various stages of their career, including Chris Pratt, Yvette Nicole Brown and Alison Brie.

Business interests

In January 2025, Joe Russo was announced as a board member and investor of English football club Sheffield United. The club was taken over by the consortium group COH Sports led by fellow American businessmen Steve Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy. Joe was joined on the board of directors by former Cleveland Cavaliers CEO Len Komoroski and real estate figure Terry Ahern.

Filmography

Film

Executive producers only
* '' Crashing'' (2007)
* ''Super Me'' (2009)
* ''A Merry Friggin' Christmas'' (2014)
* ''Dizzy Pursuit'' (2018)
* ''Relic'' (2020)
* '' All Fun and Games'' (2023)

Uncredited directors
* '' Captain Marvel'' (2019) (Mid-credits scene)
* ''Thunderbolts*'' (2025) (Post-credits scene)

Television

Other
*''Fortnite Battle Royale'' - Chapter 2, Season 6 opening cinematic (co-directed, March 2021).

Joe Russo acting credits

See also

*List of highest-grossing film directors

Notes

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Russo brothers
American action film directors
Film directors from Ohio
American film editors
American male screenwriters
American television directors
American writers of Italian descent
Artists from Cleveland
Brother duos
Case Western Reserve University alumni
English-language film directors
Film producers from Ohio
Filmmaking duos
Living people
Place of birth missing (living people)
Primetime Emmy Award winners
Screenwriters from Ohio
Screenwriting duos
Sibling filmmakers
Television producers from Ohio
Year of birth missing (living people)
People of Abruzzese descent
Filmmakers from Cleveland
Writers from Cleveland