The Russo Brothers Are Adapting One Of The Most Famous Children’s Books Ever
They made Avengers: Endgame, now they're making something a lot more kid-friendly.
This article is more than 2 years old
Filmmakers Anthony and Joe Russo have announced a new project they are working on for Disney+. The Russo Brothers are adapting Superfudge, the 1980 children’s book by legendary author Judy Blume. It is an interesting move by the pair, who have not helmed a children’s film before. It also has been announced to be an animated film, which is a first for them (unless you count the sheer amount of CGI in their Marvel Cinematic Universe movies). There has not been an announced date for the Superfudge film as of yet, but given the pace at which Disney+ has been announcing new projects, it is anyone’s guess. The streaming giant seems to be doing everything they can to utterly flood audiences with new content in 2022, so we will just have to wait and see.
Superfudge is one of Judy Blume’s most famous novels, but the author had already been publishing for over a decade by the time of its success. It is the third in a series of books revolving around the Hatcher family of New York City, preceded by Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (one of the great titles of history) and Otherwise Known as Sheila The Great. There have been several more sequels in the saga of the family, which mostly centers around Farley “Fudge” Hatcher, a hyperactive child and bane of his older brother Peter (the aforementioned fourth grade non-entity). The plot of Superfudge involves Fudge running away from home after the birth of a younger child and Peter’s madcap adventures trying to get him back. As the Russo Brothers are more famous for superhero action than colorful tales of the Tri-State area, it will be interesting to see how they approach the adaptation. It is also one of the first major film adaptations of Blume’s work after 2012’s Tiger Eyes.
Of course, before they gained worldwide fame as the directors of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the Russo Brothers were in-demand sitcom directors. The brothers were noted for their work on Arrested Development, Community and Happy Endings, all critically adored (and generally low in the ratings) shows. Hopefully they still have the talent for kinetic, clever humor they showed with those productions, but they do not seem to be hedging their bets. They are also working with their former MCU cohort Chris Evans on a Netflix action film called The Gray Man (which will also star Ryan Gosling).
Not content with one Avenger, the Russo Brothers are also producing Extraction 2, to star Chris Hemsworth. The follow-up to 2020’s action film Extraction, it will be interesting to see if Hemsworth can get a break outside of the MCU like fellow Chrises Evans and Platt. Disney+ is certainly not content to keep all their eggs in one basket, and also just announced a number of other new projects in development. Both Brie Larson and Jeremy Renner will star in unscripted shows, and two more animated children’s shows involving (respectively) Reese Witherspoon and Eva Longoria are in the works.
