The Russos say Gen Z will dictate the future of movies

It might be hard to imagine the Russos as having a true finger on the pulse of the industry but the guys have been around the business for over 20 years now, emerging with small-budget features and TV shows like Arrested Development before becoming some of the most reliable figures for Marvel. And as the future of the MCU looks towards more Avengers movies — which Anthony and Joe will direct — the boys have some interesting predictions for what the next generation of movies will bring.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, the Russos said that it will be Gen Z – those born between 1997 and 2012 – who will be leading the way for the future of Hollywood, at least in terms of what the “content” will be. As Joe put it, “We are in the biggest transitional moments in the history of linear visual storytelling. It’s very hard to say in this moment where it’s going because a lot of that is going to be dictated by the taste of Gen Z once they become the dominant consumers. And I don’t know that anyone knows what their taste is yet because they have been trained on a completely different model of consumption than we are used to. I expect radical change, I expect immersion, I expect a blending of virtual and linear, gaming and linear.”

Naturally things would be expected to change with each generation, but we’re talking about one that is constantly on social media, modeling so many facets of their lives on “influencers” and treating so much as a “trend.” And as much as we might complain about bloated runtimes for comic book movies, I think we’d all agree that they should be a little bit longer than an Instagram Reel…Not to lump all of Gen Z into one bubble, but if Hollywood heads in the direction of the generation’s worst qualities, then you can put me on the receiving end of The Blip.

No doubt we can also expect even more use – and misuse – of artificial intelligence, something the Russos themselves have been not-so-boldly predicting as a force for years now. As Anthony put it, the industry has to be cautious yet open to the possibilities. “We have to approach AI the same way we approach all technological innovations. It’s potentially a valuable tool, but it’s the kind of tool that artists always have to remain in control of, but there’s going to be some valuable role in the creative process and the filmmaking process.”

What do you expect Gen Z to bring to – or take away from – the movie industry?

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