Earlier this week, we brought you a familiar rumour about Marvel Studios potentially splitting Avengers: Secret Wars in two. If it happens, that and Avengers: Doomsday become a trilogy, and there's arguably enough storytelling potential there to make it a viable option.
Disney is eager to produce a greater number of sequels, and the Avengers franchise remains one of the biggest on the planet. Plus, delaying the end of the Multiverse Saga gives the studio a little more time to ensure that Jake Schreier's X-Men reboot is as good as it possibly can be.
Daniel Richtman has shared an update today, claiming that Marvel Studios will make a decision about whether to split Avengers: Secret Wars in two based on the success of this December's Avengers: Doomsday.
It adds up. Then again, Secret Wars is scheduled to begin shooting over the summer. A decision in late December or early January wouldn't give the Russo Brothers much time to change their plans, though we suppose they may have already figured out a way to expand this story, allowing them to quickly shift gears and shoot two blockbusters back-to-back.
Still, as exciting as that sounds, it still seems a little far-fetched. With that in mind, if making Avengers: Secret Wars two movies is legitimately on the table at Marvel Studios, we'd bet on a decision being made long before Doomsday arrives.
Richtman has also learned that a Scarlet Witch project is back in active development, this time for the Mutant Saga. We've heard all manner of rumours about Wanda Maximoff's future, so keep your expectations in check for now.
Discussing his and Anthony's inspiration for the upcoming movies last year, Joe Russo said, "Well, we always create our own version of the story. So, we use the comics as loose inspiration."
"But, you know, I grew up on the original run," he continued. "That's something that got me into Marvel comic books. The Hickman run is also fantastic [and they're] very different from each other in a lot of ways, so we'll draw inspiration from both of them."
As a reminder, the now-confirmed cast of Avengers: Secret Wars includes Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Mackie, Sadie Sink, Benedict Cumberbatch, Letitia Wright, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Paul Bettany, Simu Liu, and Hayley Atwell.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's Michael Waldron has also been enlisted to help refine the story.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.