Given the recent release of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and the ensuing bombardment of publicity, it’s not exactly “all quiet on the Marvel front” these days. But if you’re more focused on the future of the pioneering cinematic universe than its present, you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. Not only has the studio been uncharacteristically tight-lipped about not only their plans for Phase 4 of the shared universe (which will kick off following the release of the next ‘Avengers’ film), but also ‘Avengers 4’, which is now less than a year from release.
This secrecy encompasses (with a handful of notable exceptions) confirming even the existence of the planned Phase 4 film, and even more impressively, virtually everything about ‘Avengers 4’, up to and including the film’s title. This, per studio president Kevin Feige and those involved with the film (including its writers and directors), is partly because the title could in some way spoil ‘Infinity War’. But according to Feige, it’s also the product of a strategy that is intended to keep audiences focused on ‘Infinity War’ when they otherwise might be looking ahead to ‘Avengers 4’ (a strategy that Feige admits has backfired somewhat).
But there have been some comments on the upcoming sequel’s top secret title. Mostly these have been responses to fan speculation, including confirming, for example, that the film will not be titled ‘Infinity Gauntlet’. While they’re still not ready to reveal the final title, co-directors Joe and Anthony Russo have, however, acknowledged the “closest” guess. That guess, attributed to ComicBook.com, is ‘Avengers: Forever’. How close is the guess? Obviously, we can’t say for sure, but Joe Russo joked that the actual title is ‘The Avengers: Almost Forever’, so taking that at face value? Very close indeed.
Directed by the Russo brothers from a script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ marks the culmination of a decade-long effort by Marvel Studios and sees the Avengers team up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to take on Thanos. The film counts Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan, Paul Rudd, Chadwick Boseman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olson, Sebastian Stan, and three gentlemen named “Chris” among its gargantuan cast. The long-awaited movie is in theaters now, while ‘Avengers 4’ is set to arrive on May 3, 2019.
