'Avengers: Endgame' Directors & Writers Talk 3-Hour Run-Time: "No One Is Pushing Us To Cut The Film"

Now that tickets are on sale, we can officially say that “Avengers: Endgame” is not only the longest Marvel Studios film ever, but also the first to clock in over 3 hours, with a running time of 182 minutes. If this running time was for any other film, you might have people groaning at the thought of sitting in a theater for over three hours (don’t forget those trailers and commercials, as well as the end-credits stinger) without an intermission. But instead, fans are elated at the longer run-time, with many asking for even more action.

And according to a new interview with Total Film, the guys behind the film (directors Joe and Anthony Russo and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely), Marvel Studios didn’t push them to cut it below the 3-hour mark. If anything, the filmmakers were their own worst enemy when it comes to cutting the film down.

Anthony Russo revealed, “Joe and I like very propulsive storytelling. We like to keep it tight and focused, and to give the audience a thrill ride. But this movie… you know, no one’s been pushing us to cut the film. We usually are – we’re primarily pushing ourselves.”

When it comes to the 3-hour mark, the directors were aware that it was a likelihood, especially considering the sheer number of films that were being wrapped up with this latest ‘Avengers’ film. “We suspected it,” Anthony Russo continued. “Again, the number of characters, the scope of the story, the fact that it was a conclusion. It’s just that everything lined up [so] that it was going to be a difficult story to tell. Meaning that it would require a lot of screen time to tell it properly.”

One of the writers of ‘Endgame’ chimed in to further elaborate on that idea.

“It always felt like this was not a movie that you should cut stuff out of for efficiency,” Markus said. “You know, people have sat through 21 movies. They put in – what is that? – 44 hours of sitting. I don’t think there’s anybody there who’s like, ‘OK, I’ve got to get out of there in 85 minutes, I want a nice, quick wrap-up.’”

He added, “You’ve earned a long, satisfying, conclusion to the story you tell. So I don’t think there was anybody who wanted to trade it out for a speedy box-office. Even watching it, it doesn’t feel like a slog.”

Co-screenwriter McFeely also agrees, and joked, “It’s a kinetic movie, but don’t have a soda.”

“Avengers: Endgame” arrives in theaters on April 26. Tickets are available now.