As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of experience under my belt, I can confidently say that the current state of entertainment is nothing short of exhilarating! The convergence of technology, storytelling, and star power we’re witnessing today is reminiscent of the golden age of cinema, but with a modern twist.
On a bustling Tuesday morning in London, discussions revolved around Priyanka Chopra Jonas, robots, Robert Downey Jr., among others, as executives from AGBO – the innovative independent studio helmed by brothers Joe and Anthony Russo – delved into their upcoming film and series projects. Angela Russo-Otstot, their sister and chief creative officer, along with Marian Koltai-Levine, the chief marketing officer, also offered glimpses into the evolution of the Citadel franchise, including its future expansions and more.
AGBO is creating multiverse-oriented entertainment brands, aiming to captivate worldwide audiences through films, television series, video games, and virtual reality experiences. Under this label, the Russo Brothers have overseen productions like “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, which won the Oscar for Best Picture, “Citadel” on Amazon, and “Extraction” movies featuring Chris Hemsworth on Netflix, while they also directed projects such as Apple’s crime drama “Cherry” (2021), Netflix action film “The Gray Man” (2022), and the upcoming sci-fi adventure “The Electric State” for Netflix.
The Russo Brothers have recently decided to come back to Marvel Studios to direct not only one, but the upcoming two Avengers films. Their sister stated on Tuesday that the company has expanded and strengthened its team of executives and creators over time, which makes their return to the Marvel universe a natural progression rather than a hurdle for AGBO in terms of its future plans.
She pointed out that it’s fascinating how their current return to Marvel comes full circle, given they established AGBO with valuable insights gleaned from a decade spent at Marvel. These lessons laid the groundwork for AGBO initially and now, after six years of growth and development, they are reapplying those lessons in this new venture at Marvel. In her view, their creative process as producers is optimally suited for collaboration with team members at both companies.
The AGBO executives are currently in London to discuss the production teams of the upcoming international adaptations of Amazon’s successful series “Citadel”, featuring Priyanka Chopra. Production for season 2 is happening in London this fall, with Joe Russo directing. In contrast, the Italian spin-off titled “Citadel: Diana” will be released on October 10, while the Indian adaptation named “Citadel: Honey Bunny” is scheduled to premiere on November 7.
In addition to Karl Urban, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Safia Oakley-Green, and Vedanten Naidoo, Priyanka Chopra stars in “The Bluff”, a production that has recently wrapped up in Australia. This film, set in the 19th century Caribbean, narrates the story of a woman who once was a pirate. As she tries to safeguard her family, she must confront the enigmatic consequences of her past wrongdoings.
Russo-Ofstot stated, ‘This tale draws inspiration from an actual historical figure, but with a twist – she’s a female pirate. It’s set in a raw, brutal era and contains elements that many studios might find too extreme.’
In March, AGBO will debut the Netflix film “The Electric State,” directed by the Russo Brothers and featuring actors such as Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Ke Huy Quan, Stanley Tucci, Jason Alexander, along with the voices of Brian Cox, Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson, Jenny Slate, and more. As described by Russo-Otstot, it’s a captivating alternate history set in the 1990s. The story is based on an illustrated novel penned by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag, which was adapted by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely – the screenwriters behind all four Marvel films directed by the Russo Brothers. They currently serve as co-presidents of AGBO’s story department. Christopher discovered this book on Facebook during a crowdfunding campaign and recognized its potential for film adaptation, so they optioned the book, and Markus and McFeely developed a deep and intricate mythology for it. While the book already had an existing mythology, they expanded upon it significantly.
Praising the “remarkable cast,” she described the movie as an “engrossing investigation into a society where service robots coexist with humans. As they carry out their assigned duties, these robots gradually question whether there’s something more to life than their intended purpose, causing unease among humans. This leads to a confrontation, setting the stage for a war between man and machine. Technology is used by humans to gain the upper hand, resulting in the capture of all robots and their exile to a barren desert area in the heart of the U.S. The conflict, however, transcends borders, with other narratives unfolding across various countries worldwide, although we follow the U.S.’s tale in this film.
As a die-hard Marvel fan, I couldn’t help but appreciate the delightful twist Chris Pratt’s sidekick being Anthony Mackie brings to the Marvel universe, as Koltai-Levine pointed out on Tuesday!
Russo-Otstot further stated that the movie’s robots evoke a sense of nostalgia, with some designs being modeled after real-life brands. For example, Woody Harrelson’s character is a robot version of Mr. Peanut in the robot uprising. I recall our team needing to seek approval from Hormel Corporation for this concept, and we were insistent: “It has to be Mr. Peanut; we need to make this happen.” Thankfully, everything fell into place.
In January of 2022, AGBO secured a $400 million investment from Nexon Co., a prominent Japanese video game manufacturer. This investment valued the company at approximately $1.1 billion and provided Nexon with a 38% ownership stake. Simultaneously, AGBO has been actively developing its gaming portfolio under the guidance of Donald Mustard, a former Epic Games creative chief who recently became an AGBO partner.
Additionally, the company is exploring methods to apply its creative and technological prowess in groundbreaking fashion. As Russo-Otstot expressed, “I’m thrilled about this prospect that has been presented to us.” Previously, Anthony, Joe, and Donald have had successful partnerships with Robert Downey Jr., who is set to star in a play titled McNeal. This production, currently in previews and set to premiere on Monday evening at Lincoln Center, features Downey Jr. playing a talented author repeatedly denied the Pulitzer Prize and becoming captivated by artificial intelligence.
In the play, they delved into the lead character interacting with an AI duplicate of himself. They wanted our technical team to develop the digital entity representing him, which we did using our virtual production squad. The result was a digital twin that showed up on screen during the performance,” Russo-Otstot said, expressing his enjoyment at their small yet exciting contribution to this remarkable project.
She underlined the fact that although the play centers around an AI representation of the writer, AGBO did not develop an AI likeness of Downey Jr. or his character; instead, they created a digital doppelganger.
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2024-09-24 13:55