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Filming 'Infinity War' and 'Endgame' back to back was 'physically exhausting,' Russo Brothers claim

Being a massive two-part story, 'Infinity War' and 'Endgame' required the Russos to shoot both films back to back

The Russo Brothers have always tried to one-up themselves with every Marvel Studios project they took on. They joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe with 2014's 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier.' After its success, they were given two of Marvel's biggest projects ever, 'Avengers: Infinity War' and 'Avengers: Endgame'. Although the stories of the two movies were interconnected, the character arcs, scenes, and set pieces would all be enmeshed between the two films, giving the director duo an arduous task of balancing the stories while providing a satisfying conclusion.

Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige was undoubtedly impressed with their work in 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier,' which made them the obvious choice to helm the saga. Being a massive two-part story, 'Infinity War' and 'Endgame' required the Russos to shoot both films back to back.

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Recently, in an interview with GQ, the Russo Brothers spoke about the intricacies in the laborious process of such an enormous undertaking. They said, "It's not good for your health, that's for sure. It was difficult. I remember all of us at the end said, "Oh, we'll never shoot two movies like that, back-to-back, ever again." However, the two brothers still found it creatively rewarding. They added, "It really did allow for a big interplay between what we were doing in the two movies and for us to be moving back and forth creatively. And I think that was a huge, very unique, creative sort of opportunity that you don't often have in storytelling."

The films were the culmination of a decade-long story told through more than 20 films, which necessitated that they were shot back-to-back. The build-up to the final two films in what would later be dubbed 'The Infinity Saga' is a once-in-a-lifetime cinematic event that has yet to be replicated.

During the interview, Joe Russo described the delicate balance they had to achieve while filming. He said, "Yeah, I mean, the Star Lord/Thor stuff was really a product of improvisation on set. And really that was, you know, riding a giant bucking bronco for three years, those two movies, because we're constantly trying to stay on top of all the different story elements at all times. 'Well, if we pull this thread, then in this movie over here, we have to pull that thread.' And so it was a very delicate calibration, really unique experience from a storytelling standpoint, from a filmmaking standpoint. And one that we really cherished, but as Anth said, certainly took a physical toll".

While the filming was a Herculean task for the duo, they surely delivered the goods, considering the films went on to become blockbuster hits at the Box Office.