The Russo Brothers Talk Avengers: Endgame Test Screenings, And The Current Runtime

Widow and Cap in Endgame

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been in flux since last April, when Avengers: Infinity War arrived in theaters to shatter the expectations and hearts of the fandom. No one expected Thanos to claim victory, and succeed in wiping out half the galaxy with the snap of his big purple finger. Luckily, we'll finally get to see what life is like after The Decimation, as Avengers: Endgame is arriving in a matter of months.

Fans are eager for any information about The Russo Brothers' upcoming blockbuster, as Marvel Studios has been keeping its cards close to the chest on this one. But the duo of directors recently opened up about the film's test screenings, and how long the current cut of Endgame is, saying:

I think the studio is down with what the best story is. Right now, we think the movie is playing well and we’ve had great responses from our test audiences and we’re feeling very good about where it is. We’re still doing work to it. We’re not done with it. Again, this is a culmination film of 22 movies, it’s a lot of storytelling to work into it. Emotion is an intrinsic part of that to us. When you have to tell a really complicated story and you want strong emotional moments with the characters, it just requires a certain amount of real estate. This one, in particular, feels like three hours worth of real estate.

Does anyone else have chills? It looks like Avengers: Endgame may end up being even longer than its predecessor, as the Russo Brothers tell an emotionally-driven story that will also contain epic CGI and action sequences.

The Russo Brothers' comments to Collider reveal the current state of Avengers: Endgame. While the first hand full of trailers might indicate that the film was close to completion, the editing process is still underway. The final runtime hasn't been set, but right now the blockbuster is pushing 3 hours, with the story apparently settled and resonating quite well with test audiences.

Infinity War and Endgame were filmed largely at the same time, as The Russo Brothers assembled the all-star cast in Atlanta. But every big movie needs reshoots, with various actors like Karen Gillan posting from their time back on set. It's unclear what footage was being shot, but the first Endgame trailers make the highly anticipated movie's tone and setting clear.

Set an unclear time after Thanos' snap (aka The Decimation), the world is still in shock after losing half the population in an instant. But the surviving heroes still seemed determined to face the Mad Titan again-- especially Steve Rogers. They're going to need help from the likes of Captain Marvel-- especially Tony Stark and Nebula, who were shown stranded in space.

Avengers: Endgame will arrive in theaters on April 26th, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.