There’s a bit of a guessing game that goes into movie studios announcing things so far in advance. In Hollywood, even the best laid plans can go off the rails, but more often than not, things just change. Such has been the case withAvengers: Infinity War, which was initially announced back in October 2014 as Marvel Studios unveiled release dates forAvengers: Infinity War – Part 1andAvengers: Infinity War – Part 2. Marvel subsequently hiredCaptain America: Civil WardirectorsJoeandAnthony Russoto handle directing duties on both films, with plans set to shoot both movies simultaneously so as to accommodate the schedules of the MCU’s massive and massively busy ensemble cast.
However, as Marvel approached the production start-date ofInfinity War—which begins filming this December—the story of the saga had changed. As the filming date approached, screenwritersChristopher MarkusandStephen McFeelyhoned in on exactly what the scripts for both films would entail, and suddenly it became clear that the titles for these films simply didn’t fit anymore. Last month, Marvel announcedthat the titles for the films would be changing, with the first set asAvengers: Infinity Warand the next film securing an “Untitled Avengers sequel” moniker.
Why, specifically, did the title change occur? And what can we expect fromAvengers 4? The Russo brothers currently spoke withCinemaBlend, and Joe Russo gave a little insight into why theAvengers 4title has changed:
“We wanted the movie to be very different and distinctive, you know. There’s certainly cross-pollination between characters and some story arcs, but you know, the first movie is very clearlyAvengers: Infinity Warand, in time, we will reveal what the second film is.”
When pressed when we might learn the title ofAvengers 4, Anthony Russo noted, “You’ll learn that, but not for quite some time.” So it would appear that the title forAvengers 4may be a spoiler of sorts, with the title quite possibly not being revealed untilInfinity Warhits theaters in 2018.
Both films are still on track to shoot at the same time, and I definitely don’t envy the challenge ahead for the Russo Brothers. By making these two very distinct films, one imagines it’s going to be touch to keep both visually and tonally different while shooting scenes from each movie day after day for a year.
What do we know aboutAvengers 3andAvengers 4so far? Well Marvel has previously teased that this will essentially be the culmination of everything in the MCU sinceIron Man, withJosh Brolin’s Thanos likely to finally take the main stage and attempt to lay waste to all the MCU heroes. It’s also possible we’ll see the introduction of new heroes likeBrie Larson’s Captain Marvel alongside all the returning MCU players.
It’s definitely going to be a crowded affair, but given the title change, it’s also possible the Infinity War will come to an end, or at the very least a significant turning point, by the end of that first feature, leaving that second film open to some really exciting possibilities.
For now, be patient. We’ve got a long wait ahead. For a refresher, here are all the upcoming MCU release dates announced thus far:
Upcoming MCU Release Dates
Doctor Strange
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Thor: Ragnarok
Avengers: Infinity War
