Yes, that Cherry trailer is a pulse-pounding beast that teases a welcome return to smaller-scaled narratives for the Russos, who’ve essentially spent the past decade as the key architects of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having helmed Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019) back-to-back-to-back-to-back. Recently, they’ve been serving as producers on gritty dramas like Extraction, 21 Bridges, and Mosul. As their first time back in the directors’ chairs since Endgame, Cherry may serve as the character-driven palette-cleanser they need to get their creative Chi back in line.
Teaming with Holland for Cherry isn’t the first time the Russos have demonstrated a desire to keep working with their MCU cast, having produced films featuring Chris Hemsworth (Extraction), and the late, great Chadwick Boseman (21 Bridges). The next time the brothers play the part of co-directors, they’ll be re-teaming with Chris Evans for a fifth time, directing the once (and future?) Captain America in a spy-thriller opposite Ana de Armas (Knives Out), Ryan Gosling (Drive, First Man), and Jessica Henwick (Netflix’s Iron Fist). That film is called The Gray Man, and (pandemic permitting) it could head before cameras later this year.
Following The Gray Man, the Russos are set to return to their TV roots for an Amazon Prime Video spy series called Citadel. Little is known of the project, but it will reportedly see the brothers enlisting the talents of an actor who’ll soon be making his MCU debut: Game of Thrones alum Richard Madden. Madden is, of course, set to appear among an all-star cast in Marvel’s upcoming Eternals. Even if the Russos aren’t currently set to direct any future Marvel projects, they’re clearly not done dipping into the MCU’s vast talent pool.
