Russo brothers: ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ will focus on a handful of heroes 

Russo brothers: ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ will focus on a handful of heroes

This image released by Disney shows Elizabeth Olsen, left, Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan in a scene from Marvel\'s "Captain America: Civil War." (Handout photo)

Filmmaker brothers Joe and Anthony Russo know a thing or two about how to manage groups of actors, from the TV comedies Arrested Development and Community to an obscure little superhero movie called Captain America: Civil War.

But when it comes to 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War and 2019’s as-yet untitled sequel, the Russos’ ensemble superpowers are being put to the ultimate test.

The brothers, who have relocated to Atlanta for a year-long shoot on the next two Avengers movies, joked not long ago that they had 67 characters in the running to appear in the films, which will pick up where Civil War — out on Blu-ray this Tuesday — left off.

“We’ve actually narrowed it down to 66 at this point, so we’re making progress on that front,” said Joe Russo in a recent chat.

No one in the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe is off the table in terms of a guest spot in the next two Avengers. Fans are speculating that Captain Marvel, as played by Brie Larson, will make her first appearance in Avengers: Infinity War before her solo movie in the summer of 2018.

“It’s an incredible piece of casting. You couldn’t ask for better,” Joe said of Larson, who won a best actress Oscar for last year’s drama Room and appeared in three episodes of Community. “Not only is she an amazingly talented actor but she’s a wonderful human being. We’re really looking forward to the opportunity of re-teaming with her…”

“… if we were to get the chance to work with that character,” said Joe. (For the record, the Russos used this exact same flavour of coyness when talking about the possibility of having Spider-Man in Civil War, before it was revealed that the web-slinger would indeed be fighting alongside Iron Man and pals. So take that for what it’s worth.)

And while there are logistical hurdles to getting some of Marvel’s TV heroes to cross over into film, the Russos haven’t ruled out the possibility of Netflix super-types like Daredevil or Jessica Jones coming to the aid of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

“We do consider everyone,” said Anthony Russo. “We don’t want to get too specific about what’s going to happen with these movies. We want these movies to be a surprise for audiences.”

It can be tough to juggle that many characters on screen at once, but like Civil War before it, Avengers: Infinity War will focus on a handful of heroes – the Russos won’t reveal which just yet – while giving the others smaller but still meaningful roles.

“What we did in Civil War is exactly what we want to do in the Avengers — no matter how much screen time a character has, you can still have a lot of ambition for what you do with that character while you have them,” said Anthony, pointing to Ant-Man’s short but memorable appearance in Civil War as an example.

Right now, 2019’s fourth Avengers movie is the most distant point on Marvel’s roadmap, and will round out Phase 3 of the superhero saga. What happens after that depends in part on how much wreckage the Russos leave for themselves – or whoever ends up inheriting Captain America, Iron Man and the gang – to pick up.

“There’s a storytelling adage that Joe and I love, which is write yourself into a corner,” said Anthony. “If you put yourself in a very difficult place as a storyteller… that becomes where a lot of the excitement and surprise and spontaneity comes from.”

BONUS CONTENT FOR MORE THAN JUST GEEKS

A winking, swearing and laughing Scarlett Johansson? Talk about being worth the price of admission.

Captain America: Civil War is available now on HD digital download from iTunes, and lands on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday. The disc is packed with the usual batch of extras, including a gag reel that features gaffes, laughs and plenty of (bleeped-out) cussing from the likes of Johansson, Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans.

The only bad thing about the gag reel for Civil War – or, for that matter, most other Marvel home video releases – is that at three minutes, it feels way too short. Especially considering what a group of cut-ups these actors are.

“I think we probably have hundreds of hours of jokes on set,” said Civil War co-director Joe Russo. “Maybe they’re just curated to the best stuff. I don’t know why they’re so short! I’m the same way, I love gag reels as well.”

Some other highlights of the Civil War home video release:

* Four deleted scenes, including a tete-a-tete between Black Panther and Black Widow, and the Winter Soldier having a bit of shield envy.

* Audio commentary with Joe and Anthony Russo and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

* A primer on the Doctor Strange movie hitting theatres later this year.