Midwest Movie Maker

Tom Holland joins the Russo Bros for 'Cherry' For a while, it looked as though Cleveland’s own Russo Brothers ( Avengers: Endgame, Community ) and Tom Holland ( Spider-Man: Far From Home ) were headed to Cleveland to shoot the drama Cherry , based on Nico Walker’s semi-autobiographical novel. Then, in mid-August, it was announced that the film would shoot in Los Angeles instead, the Russos citing concerns over whether the Ohio Film Tax Credit would remain in the state budget. The film received application approval for the tax credit in late July. "While we believed there was a chance that the tax incentive was going to be re-instated in Ohio, we didn't know for sure, and we had to develop some plan B's,” the Russos said. “We ended up qualifying for the California tax incentive and being able to shoot in L.A. We also ended up qualifying for the Ohio tax incentive, but by the time they reinstated it, it was too late for us to change tracks." Then, on A...

The Russo Bros direct Chris Evans on the 'Winter Soldier' set Imagine Medina standing in for the rolling hills of Wakanda or the steps of the Sanctum Sanctorum leading down to E. 9th. With a little more infrastructure, it may have happened. Cleveland natives and Avengers: Infinity War directors Joe and Anthony Russo said as much recently during a Q&A after a screening of the film at the Cleveland Cinematheque, adding that they would have loved to bring Infinity War to Cleveland. One of the reasons the brothers couldn’t is because it lacks a modern sound stage suitably for a film its size. The Russos shot much of Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier in Cleveland. If the right sound stage was available, they would have kept the film in Northeast Ohio longer. Pinewood Atlanta Studios The directors said the availability of state-of-the-art sound stages was one of the main reasons why nearly 40 feature films are shooting in Georgia. Georgia's Pinewo...

Copley's Carrie Coon will play Proxima Midnight in 'Avengers: Infinity War' Copley, Ohio’s Carrie Coon joins Cleveland’s Russo Brothers on Marvel epic You can take The Avengers out of Cleveland (and film in sweaty, old Atlanta), but you can’t take the Cleveland out of The Avengers . While every Marvel fan knows Infinity War directors Joe and Anthony Russo hail from the CLE (or the LAND), they’ll soon discover another Ohio native chewing up the screen as Proxima Midnight. Carrie Coon , best known for her roles on Fargo and The Leftovers confirmed via Twitter that she’s playing the villain, a member of Thanos’ Black Order. Coon hails from Copley, Ohio, a suburb of Akron. “It’s true! My voice and a dazzle of gifted animators have teamed up to play Proxima Midnight. To be fair my face is in there somewhere. #MoCapWhilePregnant,” she tweeted. The Russo Brothers entered the MCU in 2014 with Captain America: The Winter Soldier , which was filmed primarily in Clevel...

#TeamCap ready for battle The beauty of Captain America: Civil War is brilliantly captured in the arc of its main villain, Sokovian military specialist Helmut Zemo. Zemo, as portrayed by Daniel Bruhl , appears at first glance to be your run-of-the-mill super villain, intent on world domination. Instead Zemo turns out to be everything but your run-of-the-mill super villain. (I’ll do my best not to spoil anything - but please be forewarned). Zemo, turns out, is human . His motivation is relatable. You feel for the guy, in a way you would never feel for the Red Skull, Crossbones or any super-powered evil-doer of the last decade (Raimi's Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2 the only exception) . Zemo isn’t a villain you love to hate. He’s a villain with whom you empathize. By and large, that same sentiment goes for every character in the film. And pretty quick you realize that Civil War is less a bombastic superhero thrill ride (though it delivers on that promise in spades), and muc...

Ivan Schwarz, Greater Cleveland Film Commission, Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, Cleveland natives and Marvel directors. They didn’t share any Captain America: Civil War spoilers, but directors Joe and Anthony Russo told fans that Avengers: Infinity War could land in Cleveland. “It’s on the list,” said Anthony. The reveal took place Saturday during a Wizard World Comic-Con Cleveland panel titled Let’s Shut Down Some Streets: Bringing the Avengers, Captain America and the Russo Brothers to Cleveland. The Russos, who grew up in Cleveland and graduated from Case Western Reserve University, were joined by Ivan Schwarz, director of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission. The trio discussed how the region could grow its production slate and how it could attract more features to Northeast Ohio. The first step, said Schwarz, was getting the Ohio legislature to raise the motion picture tax incentive from $25 million a year to $75 million. That legislation will go before Ohio lawmake...

Cleveland's own Anthony and Joe Russo are set to direct 'Cap 2' With word that Anthony and Joe Russo are set to direct Captain America 2: The Winter Solider , is it possible that one of our favorite Avengers could return to Cleveland? It’s complete and utter speculation, but there’s no reason not to start championing the possibility. After all, the Russo Brothers are Cleveland natives who have said they want to bring more films to Northeast Ohio (they filmed Welcome to Collinwood here in 2001). And knowing that The Avengers enjoyed an extremely successful on location experience in downtown Cleveland, there’s precedence for Marvel Studios to return to East 9 th and Euclid. Just for kicks, let’s through in the storyline, too. Comic book fans know the Winter Soldier of the title is – spoiler alert! – Bucky Barnes. A half-frozen Barnes is swept up by Russian soldiers in WWII and brainwashed into becoming a lethal assassin. That calls for some Russian-lo...