Avengers: Endgame Directors the Russos to Be Honored at CinemaCon

Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo are set to be awarded this year's Directors of the Year at CinemaCon. Entering the MCU via 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the directing duo has become an integral part of the franchise, helming some of its most important films to date including 2016's Captain America: Civil War and last year's Avengers: Infinity War. And together with writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the Russos are the primary creative force behind the much-anticipated Phase 3 capper.

Joe and Anthony had made a name for themselves on the small screen before jumping on the MCU, particularly in sitcoms. They directed the pilot episode of Arrested Development, and individually in a handful of subsequent episodes, the same goes for the premiere of Community. They also helmed a couple films before landing The Winter Soldier with 2002's Welcome to Collinwood and 2006's You, Me and Dupree. In the last few years, however, their focus has been mainly on wrapping up the superhero franchise' 22-film arc that started in 2008's Iron Man.

ComicBook.com is reporting that Anthony and Joe will be honored as Directors of the Year at CinemaCon in Las Vegas with the ceremony taking place on April 4 at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The two succeeds Black Panther helmer Ryan Coogler, who received the same accolade last year. In light of this announcement, Managing Director of CinemaCon Mitch Neuhauser released a short statement about the decision to choose the Russos.

“From the very beginning with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Anthony and Joe Russo have proven they have a story to tell and have brought the Marvel Cinematic Universe to levels others could only have dreamed of. With the impending release of Avengers: Endgame, they are sure to continue their critical and box office success as they thrill, surprise and entertain audiences around the globe.”

Joe and Anthony Russo speaking on a stage holding mics.

No word yet whether or not the Russos will be attending the event considering that the global press tour for Endgame may have already started by then. Joe is actually scheduled to be in India on April 1 and 2, although it doesn't look like Anthony will be with him. The directors recently shared that the movie edit is already locked early this month, giving them enough buffer time between now and the movie's theatrical release. Despite an expected busy schedule as the film's rollout nears, it's not going to be surprising if they find the time to drop by the event since it will be a great venue to further promote the project (not that it needs any more hyping).

What lies after Avengers: Endgame for the Russo brothers has also been locked in with the true-life drama Cherry where they will reunite with Tom Holland (Spider-Man). It's a significant departure from the superhero sandbox that they have been playing in for a couple of years now, but considering their ability to ground characters, not to mention their stellar working relationship with Holland, many are looking forward to the movie. That being said, given what they're able to accomplish in the MCU thus far, fans will continuously hold out hope of their return to the MCU. Perhaps once the franchise is ready for a much-clamored X-Men vs Avengers or Secret Invasion story arc, they can return.