Much has changed in the world of moviemaking since Avengers: Endgame came out in 2019. For starters, the Marvel machine is no longer a guaranteed blockbuster engine and somehow even Endgame‘s own directors can’t be trusted to be deliver the goods anymore, either. Ahead of their grand return to the MCU with next year’s Avengers: Doomsday, the Russos just deployed Netflix’s most expensive movie of all time, The Electric State, and reviews have been more brutal than Thanos. q711r

Critics have dubbed the $320 million production “totally incoherent,” “soulless digital content,” and potentially even “harmful to movies.” With a abysmal Rotten Tomatoes score of just 18%, it’s easily the worst-received film the Russos have ever made (and they directed You, Me & Dupree!). As you would hope, the filmmaking brothers have itted they have learned some lessons working on this movie that will impact on how they go about making Avengers 5. Although their biggest takeaway is actually something they believe they got right.

The Electric State will have one positive impact on Avengers: Doomsday 4tl15

One thing that even The Electric State‘s harshest critics all agree on is that the integration of CG characters into its live-action world is on another level from what we typically see from Hollywood, with the various robots that Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown’s characters interact with seem impressively tactile and real. Unsurprisingly, this updated tech is something the Russos are keen to explore further on their next two Avengers films.

When speaking on how their Netflix not-buster has prepared them for Doomsday, Joe Russo said that it’s The Electric State‘s “refinement of motion capture” that is the main thing they will carry with them back into the MCU.

“There’s new methods that are available now to help capture it on set,” he explained in a new interview. “The tricky thing, when you’re working with visual effects, is, if it’s a green screen, we have an award-winning camera operator we work with, named Geoff Haley,” he explained. “He has nothing to frame to, other than a face.”

Anthony Russo then added, “But, when you’re layering in on sets, rough comps into the eyepiece for him, now he can actually do his job. These are some of the advancements that are really enhancing the quality and look of the effects in movies.” 

As epic and as satisfying as Endgame undoubtedly is, some of its visual effects could certainly be improved on — the muddy backdrop of the final battle springs to mind — so this is actually one way in which The Electric State feeding into Doomsday is exciting to hear. In every other department, though, we need the Russos to wipe the slate clean and what they got so right with their earlier Marvel entries: big budgets aren’t as important to a film as big ideas and a big heart.

OK, one more thing we wouldn’t mind from The Electric State is Millie Bobby Brown. She is due a superhero gig now her Stranger Things co-star Sadie Sink has ed Spider-Man 4.

Joe and Anthony Russo, the directing duo behind the Avengers: Doomsday, have revealed the process behind developing the Marvel sequel’s new villain, Doctor Doom.

For those unversed in MCU lore, Victor von Doom is all set to be the universe’s next Big Bad, with Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. on board to don the villain’s infamous green suit. Ahead of the film’s release midway through next year, the filmmaker siblings, who also helmed Avengers: Endgame, pulled back the curtain on exactly how Downey is preparing for the role, summarizing the process as “very intense.”

Joe Russo says Robert Downey Jr is doing detailed research to prepare to play Doctor Doom

“He’s writing backstory, costume ideas… He just loves really rich 3-dimensional characters & I think he sees a real opportunity here with the character”

(Source: https://t.co/I1HNsNkVvm) pic.twitter.com/IXLz0Ep29T

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 5, 2025

“It’s a very intense process developing the character,” Joe Russo recently told Entertainment Tonight. “[Downey] is so immersed in it. He is so dialed in.” The acclaimed actor is so immersed, in fact, that the Russo brothers said he has apparently conceived of a backstory for Doctor Doom, as well as ideated some potential costume ideas. Somewhere out there, the screenwriters and costume designers are fearful that Downey is coming for their bag, but the directors said that is simply how Downey operates.

“We were just on the phone with him this morning before we got here talking about it,” Joe said. “I think [Downey] just loves really rich, three-dimensional characters, and I think he sees a real opportunity here with that character.” Filming for the entry into the Avengers franchise is expected to begin soon, and comes a year after Downey revealed his involvement in the film to much shock and awe at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con. “New mask, same task,” Downey said as he interrupted the . “What did I tell ya? I like playing complicated characters.”

The reveal of Robert Downey Jr as Doctor Doom. pic.twitter.com/zvDBeMrrvN

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 28, 2024

Details beyond Downey’s character-development process remain scarce, to the point where some of his fellow Marvel stars were just as surprised as us about his return to the franchise. Jeremy Renner, who plays Hawkeye, said there was “not a peep” about Downey’s role in the Avengers group chat he shares with the actor (how does one score an invite to that?), while Doctor Strange actor Benedict Cumberbatch said he texted Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige a simple “what the f***?” upon hearing the news. You and me both, Benny. Cumby? Batchy">vague teases given by the Russo brothers last month. The siblings revealed they are shooting Doomsday and Secret Wars “fairly back-to-back” and said it will be “a lot of work.” Joe also added that the pair “may or may not survive, but since this is the MCU, they can always pull a Downey and return, anyway. Avengers: Doomsday is expected to hit cinemas on May 1, 2026.

Spare a thought for Joe and Anthony Russo, who seem to have only just realized what they have condemned themselves to for the next few years. When Marvel handed them a sack of money and an even bigger set of action figures to play with than last time, agreeing to direct both Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars probably seemed like a smart move. Now the films are due to shoot back-to-back, however, it looks like the brothers are having second thoughts.

At the premiere of their new Netflix movie, The Electric State, the Russos were inevitably asked for more info about Doomsday. And going by their dead-eyed expressions, they may already be regretting g up for what could well be an even more ambitious undertaking than, well, the last time they ended an MCU saga in an epic two-part cinematic event. At least then they didn’t have the pressure of one-upping themselves.

The Russos tease that Avengers: Doomsday‘s death count may include them 3ez6x

The Russo Brothers confirm ‘AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY’ and ‘AVENGERS: SECRET WARS’ are filming in London

“Not in LA, it’s all in London, we’re shooting them fairly back to back, it’s a lot of work again, we may or may not survive we’ll see”

(via: @DEADLINE) pic.twitter.com/8O3bckSQUf

— Captain America News (@UpdatesCAP4) February 25, 2025

With Doomsday only just beginning its lengthy shoot in London, you might expect the Russos to be full of energy and excitement about what lays before them. Except, now that they’re actually starting work on this Celestial-sized behemoth of a blockbuster, it looks like they’re having second thoughts about g that new contract with Kevin Feige.

When asked on the red carpet about Doomsday‘s status, Joe Russo confirmed Avengers 5 and 6 will be shot “fairly back-to-back” and that they’re fully aware it’s going to be “a lot of work.” He then added, “We may or may not survive, we’ll see.” We’re pretty sure that’s a joke, but while saying it he did look a bit like a weary Captain America just before all the portals open in Endgame.

The interviewer then decided to take a stab at uncovering some spoilers (maybe try Anthony Mackie next time), asking the directors whether we can expect any X-Men cameos. “Who knows, I don’t know,” Joe answers curtly. When pressed if Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman could return as Deadpool and Wolverine, a brusque Russo replied, “Maaaybe, who knows… Anybody in the Marvel bag could show up in this movie.” Joe, I hate to tell you this, but you are going to be asked that question 616 times over the next 12 months.

Nobody else knows just how enormous a task the Russos have ahead of them, as only they have attempted to do something as crazy this before. e.g make two giant-sized Marvel movies that need to wrap up years of multimedia storytelling in explosive fashion over one enormous two-year period. In this same interview, Russo teases the “way into the story” the pair dreamed up that will be “challenging for audiences and challenging for us to execute.” So it sounds like they’ve made it even harder for themselves this time around. Boys, we wish you the best of luck in achieving your death-wish. Although it may have just been quicker to yeet yourselves off a clifftop on Vormir.

In a film as massive as Avengers: Endgame, not all plot lines could naturally line up. With the final film appearances of Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. in fan-favorite roles, there was a lot of territory to cover.

Already over three hours, Endgame had to pull off an emotional send-off for two characters that was a decade in the making. Some interesting decisions didn’t make the final cut, such as a deleted scene featuring Tony’s (Downey Jr.) daughter, Morgan. After surviving The Snap with Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow), the two have what most characters don’t in the film: a family. The Starks are lucky enough to come out the other side, with a daughter to boot.

The film covers Tony’s attempt to bring back the people they lost, as well as preserving his daughter’s life. In the end he is successful, as we see the five-year-old grieve at Tony’s funeral. However, there were plans for a little bit more than that. 13 Reasons Why and Knives Out star, Katherine Langford, had initially been cast as an older version of Morgan in a scene that was ultimately cut for time. Now, years after this slight, Marvel may be making good on the promise of the characters.

Is Katherine Langford returning to the MCU stage? 55s5c

Joe Russo revealed that the scene in question would have occurred during Tony’s death (via CinemaBlend). After snapping his fingers, his mind would go into a plane of existence where he would see his daughter, a la how Thanos (Josh Brolin) sees Gamora (Ariana Greenblatt). This version of Morgan would be older, and played by Langford. Both the Russos confirmed in an episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast that the scene was cut because it didn’t hit home for audiences.

The scene was an attempt to allow Tony the peace he needed to let go, but it didn’t test well since viewers had no connection to this version of Morgan. The same emotional beat is accomplished instead with Pepper, who tells Tony it’s okay to rest. This move makes complete sense in the scope of the film, but it would be a blast from the past to return to the character. Marvel may have the same idea, according to a rumor circulating X.

While unconfirmed at this point, this would be an interesting turn of events, especially considering Downey Jr.’s recent casting as Victor von Doom in the MCU. It may also work out well for Langford, who hasn’t had the greatest success with Netflix fare. Though 13 Reasons Why ran for four seasons, it was the height of controversy when it first premiered.

Trigger warnings are much more prevalent now than they were when the first season premiered, as fans discovered after witnessing the brutally graphic suicide in a bathtub by Langford’s character. Her other Netflix venture, Cursed, was, well, cursed, and quickly canceled after one season. Returning to Marvel would be a boon for the actor, and an emotional connection to a character we all miss.

How did Marvel manage to top all the mind-blowing surprises of Deadpool & Wolverine in the very same weekend? By bringing Robert Downey Jr. back to San Diego Comic-Con to announce that he’s returning to the MCU… Not as Iron Man, but as Doctor Doom, the newly unveiled villain of Avengers: Doomsday and its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars!

It’s probably a good thing that Doomsday (formerly known as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty) is still two years away, as the Marvel fandom is going to need that long to process this genuinely canon-quaking, franchise-changing twist of a casting decision. With directors the Russo brothers on board for these movies, too, Marvel Studios is really doing all it can to ensure it recaptures the magic of Infinity War and Endgame on these next two Avengers films. That’s also made abundantly evident by a fourth key player who’s been announced to be ing these projects.

Even though their involvement has been swept under the radar so far, you could argue that they are the most significant addition of all. Welcome back to the Marvel multiverse, Stephen McFeely…

Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars have found their screenwriter, in the safest pair of hands possible u6yg

Following Marvel’s big Hall H , it was confirmed that a screenwriter has likewise been attached to these two movies. We knew Avengers 5 was in need of a new scribe prior to the event. Following Quantumania‘s Jeff Loveness exiting Kang Dynasty last year, Doctor Strange 2‘s Michael Waldron was also recently announced to have parted ways with the project. With the Russos back on board, though, it’s no surprise that they have turned back to another trusted collaborator like Downey to rewrite the screenplay: MCU vet Stephen McFeely.

McFeely is most notable as one half of the unstoppable writing duo that provided the scripts for all of the Russos’ prior movies — he and writing partner Christopher Markus penned Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Civil War, and Infinity War and Endgame. In addition, the pair also wrote The First Avenger and worked on Agent Carter. This is the first time McFeely has worked on an MCU project without Markus, but to have at least one of the brains that gave us some of the franchise’s finest screenplays is still widely encouraging.

As much as it means to have the Russos back behind the camera and Downey back in front of it, we’ve seen too many times before that a Marvel movie is nothing without a strong narrative foundation so McFeely’s hiring is potentially the biggest reason to get excited about Avengers: Doomsday, coming in May 2026, and Secret Wars, following a year later in May 2027.

In fiction and life, there are few love stories more enthralling than a good reunion between soulmates who for one reason or another had drifted apart. That’s more or less what’s happening between Kevin Feige and the Russo Brothers.

When they were together, the mastermind behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the directing duo produced four of the best-performing and most beloved films in the franchise, including the box-office-smashing Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. It seemed to be a match made in heaven, but where do you go after making one of the biggest movies of all time? The two parties were interested in trying something new, and try they did.

“We won’t be ready to do anything with Marvel until the end of the decade,”

Joe Russo told Variety in 2022.

The Russo brothers went off to make extremely expensive movies for Netflix that didn’t receive anywhere near the warmth of their Marvel work, and Kevin Feige continued to expand his visionary cinematic universe, sometimes biting off more than he could chew while risking market saturation. Now, the producer and the directors are reportedly rekindling the fame.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, the brothers are in talks to direct Avengers 5 (previously The Kang Dynasty) and 6 (still Secret Wars). The films hopped from desk to desk, landing at Destin Daniel Cretton’s, Jeff Loveness’s, Michael Waldron’s, and Shawn Levy’s before they finally made their way to the office of the men who, frankly, were probably always destined to make them.

It’s an angsty love story, but one that was meant to be. “The Russos getting back with the Avengers is the MCU’s Bennifer,” one person commented, comparing the situation with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s relationship which first began in 2002, recommenced in 2021 after 17 years apart, and is now possibly on the rocks again.

Everyone agrees that the MCU and the Russos are better off together than apart. “Both sides are lesser without each other,” claims one commentator. “The Russos and Marvel need each other,” says another. That’s exactly what I used to say about my favorite television couples when the writers broke them up.

One of Thanos’ most iconic lines from the Russo Brothers’ Avengers: Endgame film has become almost prophetic, and meme’d repeatedly by the Marvel fanbase on the heels of the plot-twist news. “You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me.”

Nothing is quite official at this point, but as most MCU fans are deeply nostalgic for the franchise’s golden age with the Russos at the helm, excitement is bubbling. It might not be the revolution the wilting cinematic universe needed, but why mess with a winning team?

Avengers 5 is scheduled to be released in theaters May 1, 2026, and Secret Wars is expected to come a year later, on May 7, 2027.

“Fine, I’ll do it myself.” Those immortal words from Thanos himself may well have been what the Russo brothers said upon deciding to make the Marvel universe-quaking decision to return to the MCU to potentially helm Avengers 5 and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Yes, in what is perhaps the most shocking move Marvel could’ve made for these movies, outside of bringing back Robert Downey Jr. or Chris Evans, Joe and Anthony Russo are reportedly in talks to helm not just one but both Avengers movies, due in 2026 and 2027. After 2019’s Endgame, concluding a run of four of the most successful superhero blockbusters of all time, the Russos very much distanced themselves from the MCU, making streaming offerings like Netflix’s The Gray Man and the The Electric State.

So the news that the duo could — it’s not a done deal yet, ! — make a grand comeback to direct the two-part climax to the Multiverse Saga is achieving an even more impressive bit of time travel than the Avengers’ Time Heist: it’s taking the fandom back five years, back before the division of Phase Four and Five rocked the community, and is uniting everyone in pure-hearted Infinity Saga-style joy and excitement.

The saviors of superhero cinema have returned.

Suddenly, with the Russos on board, Avengers 5 and 6 have gone from two projects folks were wildly worried about to two guaranteed smashes.

You mean they’re casting Kevin Hart or…? That would be one unexpected choice for Dr. Doom.

Can the Russos take the MCU back to the days where every movie was earning a billion dollars? Some are certainly convinced.

On the other hand, there are some dissenting voices in the mix too. Believe it or not, there is the occasional fan out there who looks on Endgame, the one-time biggest movie of all time, as a misstep.

All in all, though, it’s fair to say the Russos’ rehiring has the potential to be the most-anticipated Marvel comeback since Hugh Jackman announced he was returning as Wolverine in Deadpool 3. We’re on the cusp of discovering if that was worth it (and all the signs are suggesting it is), so the timing is perfect to learn that a couple more comeback kids might be just around the corner. If Marvel lets this opportunity slip through its fingers and doesn’t hire the Russos, though, then it might have a not-so-secret war on its hands as the fans revolt.

The team that gave us the contentious action thriller The Gray Man is making another balloon-budget movie.

Joe and Anthony Russo are directing The Electric State for Netflix from a screenplay by their old Infinity War/Endgame buddies (and The Gray Man co-scribes) Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, based on the popular graphic novel of the same name by Simon Stålenhag. We imagine the reportedly over $300 million budget was partly employed in securing some of Hollywood’s biggest names for the film including Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Ke Huy Quan, Stanley Tucci, and Brian Cox.

Brown plays Michelle, a 19-year-old girl traveling across the American West in search of her brother with the help of a robot sidekick. The visual aspect is arguably the most important in the post-apocalyptic war-ravished retro-futuristic world created by Stålenhag, so visual effects, practical and special, likely received special attention during and after production.

Or perhaps the Russos are just trying to maintain the tradition, seeing as it’s their own movie they’re dethroning in the podium for Netflix’s most expensive movies ever (The Gray Man held the honors previously with an over $200 million budget).

When is The Electric State coming out? 621y3i

The Electric State is scheduled to hit Netflix in 2024. The streamer hasn’t provided a more specific release date yet. When Netflix first took the reigns of its distribution from Universal Pictures, the plan was to release it in theatres exclusively for a week in January 2024 before it moved to the streamer.

The sci-fi adventure film was shot between October 2022 and February 2023 in Atlanta, with additional reshoots taking place between March and April 2024.

Oh, Deadpool & Wolverine, you were doing so well! After hype was raised to an all-time high by the recent trailer, we’re now hearing a worrying update about the incoming Ryan Reynolds threequel that has fans fearing it’s not going to be as different of a Marvel movie as we hoped.

Sometimes familiar is a good thing, though. Like, for instance, Robert Downey Jr. returning as Iron Man? All right, so it’s not happening just yet, but it’s seeming vaguely more likely ⏤ even if the men who killed Tony Stark off the first time would rather he stay that way.

Even the Russo brothers are confused by Robert Downey teasing an Iron Man return 1g4f3

Robert Downey set tongues wagging recently when he told Esquire that he would “happily” return to Marvel if Kevin Feige asked him. This is pretty much what Marvel fans have been wanting to hear for five full years now, but not everyone’s pleased about it. Avengers: Endgame directors the Russo brothers have itted they’re mystified how this could even happen as they made sure to make Iron Man un-resurrectable. “I don’t know how they would do it,” Anthony Russo told Games Radar, while Joe Russo added, “I mean we closed that book so it would be up to them to figure out how to reopen it.” Umm, did the Russos just it they haven’t been keeping up with the Multiverse Saga? Variants are kind of a thing now, boys.

Every frame of Deadpool 3 we’ve seen so far has been deemed utter perfection by Marvel lovers across the globe, so it’s mighty troubling that we’re hearing the movie is actually heading back into production… less than three months before it hits cinemas. Reshoots are rumored to conclude sometime in May, so they may not be too extensive, but many an MCU movie has been mutilated in post-production — see Quantumania‘s weak-sauce replacement ending. Let’s just pray this will be one of those times when reshoots improved a Marvel film. I can’t think of any examples right now, but I’m sure they exist.

Sony throws Kraven the Hunter into the literal lion’s den as it moves to December 131j36

Forget Deadpool 3, though, I know what your real most-anticipated Marvel movie of the year is. It’s obviously Kraven the Hunter, Sony’s third Spider-Villain release of the year — yes, we’re getting three of those in 2024, but just one MCU film. This is why we can’t have nice things. Clearly, Sony has as much faith in this one as the rest of us, as the Aaron Taylor-Johnson vehicle was supposed to arrive in September, but now it’s been pushed into December. This is the same month as Disney’s Mufasa and Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3, so it looks like the hunter is destined to become the hunted.

The Russo brothers have more than proved that they have their fingers on the pulse of pop culture. Which isn’t necessarily something we ever expected to say of two filmmakers who started their career with 2007’s You, Me, and Dupree, but there you go.

The duo have grown into two of the most successful filmmakers in cinema history, earning Marvel Studios alone a total of $6 billion across their four MCU movies to date. So when they announce that they think they know what’s really at the root of the franchise’s problems this decade, then we should probably sit up and listen as they might just have a point.

The buzzword that gets thrown around a lot to explain the MCU’s downturn is “superhero fatigue,” but when GamesRadar+ asked the Russos for their thoughts on the issue, they immediately shut it down. To them, the audience is not necessarily fatigued with superhero storytelling, but maybe they are fatigued with the way superhero storytelling is being presented to them. As Joe Russo put it:

“I think it’s a reflection of the current state of everything. It’s difficult right now, it’s an interesting time,” Russo said. “I think we’re in a transitional period and people don’t know quite yet how they’re going to receive stories moving forward, or what kinds of stories they’re going to want.”

Joe Russo believes that the younger generation, who are naturally Marvel’s main target demographic, are simply losing overall interest in theatrical cinema as a medium, which has contributed to falling ticket sales in recent years. A reminder that The Marvels was the studio’s lowest-grossing movie by some margin last November, when it only brought home $200 million worldwide (its 2019 forebear, Captain Marvel, earned five times that, don’t forget).

“There’s a big generational divide about how you consume media,” he continued. “There’s a generation that’s used to appointment viewing and going to a theater on a certain date to see something, but it’s aging out. Meanwhile the new generation are ‘I want it now, I want to process it now’, then moving onto the next thing, which they process whilst doing two other things at the same time. You know, it’s a very different moment in time than it’s ever been. And so I think everyone, including Marvel, is experiencing the same thing, this transition. And I think that really is probably what’s at play more than anything else.”

Are the Russos right about the biggest problem facing the MCU? 4x5b2a

Keeping up with changing content trends is definitely a hot-button issue for the Russos, seeing as they’ve made a lot of projects for Netflix and Prime Video in recent years, and they’re certainly correct that cinema as we know it is evolving. On the other hand, the pair do seem to be being rather diplomatic about the MCU’s own problems since they left it behind five years ago.

For starters, the lack of old favorites Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, and others has most definitely rocked audiences’ loyalty to the franchise, and the lack of a clear narrative or chief protagonist across the Multiverse Saga has arguably damaged the brand. Were people put off by The Marvels because it was released in a cinema, or because it was “just another Marvel movie” rather than a key chapter in the story?

Honestly, you could also argue that Avengers: Endgame was such an unattainable high both financially and narratively that there was nowhere to go but down for the MCU after that. The truth of superhero fatigue will be proven once James Gunn’s DCU gets cooking next year — if audiences lap up his new Superman movie and its sequels but continue to ignore Marvel then clearly the MCU’s problem isn’t with the genre or theaters, it’s that the Russos are no longer around to show ’em how it’s done.

Some TV shows are just too expensive to fail. Those series with budgets too astronomical and ambitions too huge that, even if they don’t make the hoped-for impact, there’s no other option but to simply plow ahead anyway and hope no one notices. Yes, Citadel, I’m talking about you.

Perhaps one of the most ambitious television enterprises ever, spy series Citadel is intended to launch an international cinematic universe, with an Indian spinoff (confusingly also called Citadel) and Italian series Citadel: Diana on their way. Unfortunately, the English-language series’ first season earned mixed reviews after its budget soared to $300 million for just six episodes (kinda puts Disney Plus spending $225 million on She-Hulk into perspective, doesn’t it?).

Nevertheless, many Prime subscribers who did check out Citadel season 1 were swept up in its twisty-turny thriller narrative and the chemistry between its two leads, Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. So, despite the behind-the-scenes troubles, a second season has been greenlit. Here’s everything we know.

Citadel season 2 cast and crew y4649

Don’t worry, Citadel fans, both Madden and Chopra Jonas will be back for season 2, reprising their roles as ace spies Mason Kane and Nadia Sinh, who work for the clandestine Citadel agency. The rest of the main cast is likely to return alongside them, including Stanley Tucci as Bernard Orlick, Ashleigh Cummings as Abby Conroy, and Lesley Manville as Dahlia Archer.

It’s probably fair to say that one of the issues behind the scenes on Citadel season 1 was that there were too many cooks in the kitchen — this is a show that had a whopping 18 credited executive producers! So it’s encouraging to hear that one of them, in particular, will be taking charge for season 2. Avengers: Endgame‘s Joe Russo, who also serves as EP alongside brother Anthony Russo, will direct all six episodes of the next run — which will relocate production to California from the U.K. — by himself.

Citadel season 2 plot 6345m

No plot details have been announced as yet, but with Citadel season 1 ending with some major shocks and reveals, we’re fully expecting the second season to deal with the aftermath of these bombshells, even if we have no idea where the story will go next.

For starters, Mason and Nadia’s relationship is pretty much in tatters after a minefield of mind-blowing secrets destroyed everything they thought they knew about each other. Not only is Mason really Dahlia’s son and the mole within Citadel, it turns out the pair also share a sibling. So it’s probably no wonder she called off their engagement in the finale. And then there’s poor Bernard getting tortured by Dahlia, don’t forget.

Over its first six episodes, Citadel has shown us that, while it’s not going to win any awards for originality, the show’s appeal lies in just how many well-worn tropes of the spy genre it can machine-gun at us over its trim runtime. So hopefully Russo and his team will continue to keep up the momentum, as well as further flesh out the characters, across season 2.

Citadel season 2 release window 3h3c51

As Citadel is such a mammoth of a TV series to produce, and the fact that filming has yet to begin by the end of January 2024, it’s unlikely that we will see season 2 hit streaming this year. Although we’d hope the next season will have a smoother production than the first, using that as a guide, season 1 shot from January to December 2021 before reshoots took place in mid-2022. In other words, a release window of sometime in mid-2025 at the earliest seems plausible.

Thankfully, we should see the debut of the first two spinoffs in the Citadel Spyverse before then. India’s Citadel, starring Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, should be with us in 2024, given that filming completed in July 2023. Meanwhile, Citadel: Diana — featuring Matilda De Angelis and Lorenzo Cervasio — has been promised to arrive on Prime Video in 2024. The Citadel Cinematic Universe is just beginning — will you be coming along for the ride?

After the Russo Brothers’ Extraction broke the record of the most-watched original film in Netflix’s history, Extraction 2 inevitably became one of the most-anticipated sequels in Netflix history. The action-packed thriller, based on the graphic novel Ciudad, is arguably among Netflix’s most explosive and thoughtful action movies. Chris Hemsworth is now set to step in the shoes of the Mercenary Tyler Rake again and continue the expedition of rescuing a ruthless Georgian gangster’s family.

Excitement is at an all-time high as the release date for Extraction 2 is fast approaching. The film comes three years of the release of the Netflix original movie and will make its way to our small screens on June 16. In celebration, Chris Hemsworth just shared a never-before-seen clip to feed our excitement.

The one-minute clip opens with Hemsworth nursing an injured young girl, with Golshifteh Farahani stepping in to check on them. Hemsworth then steps out, and we see explosive action scenes as our hero fights off their enemies and saves the day. With helicopter attacks, machine guns, and many explosions — the video is only a short glimpse into the major action that awaits us in the film.

Expectedly, fans have gone into a frenzy after seeing the teaser. The tweet is bombarded with comments from soon-to-be viewers who can’t wait for Friday to arrive (just like us). This isn’t the first clip from the movie that teases the jaw-dropping action sequences. Netflix released another one-minute video on June 5 to welcome actor Idris Elba to the team. Elba’s introduction featured a chase sequence while Hemsworth’s team tried to fight off the enemies’ cars and bikes. Viewers also got a glimpse into more explosions and hand-to-hand combat; you can watch the teaser below:

Netflix released the official trailer for the film on April 3, 2023, which garnered similar reactions from fans, who are calling it the “next big action blockbuster” already. Catch the trailer if you haven’t already, and don’t forget to watch the movie on June 16, 2023, on Netflix.