Post-Infinity War MCU Will Be "Very, Very Different," Plus A Look At The Future Of Marvel Movies

With the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 press junket happening this week in Los Angeles, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has been participating in numerous interviews talking about the future of the company's films. We've collected a few choice quotes below, including Feige talking about how the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be "very, very different" after Avengers: Infinity War, his plans to hire more top caliber Hollywood veterans, and an update on the studio's filming slate.

Feige tells Collider that the post-Infinity War Marvel Cinematic Universe is "gonna be very, very different." In the same interview, Feige teased some uncertainty in MCU's future:

"We've been lucky that [contract expirations] haven't factored in too much. We've had people under contract for certain films, then we've had new ideas and new directions like Civil War like we wanted to do, and we've been lucky enough to make new contracts. ... Certainly, as we get to Infinity War there is a sense of a climax if not a conclusion to, by the time we're at untitled Avengers 4, the 22 movies that will have encompassed the first three phases of the MCU. And what happens after that will be very different. I don't know if it's Phase 4, it might be a new thing."

This is something we've expected for some time. We've heard that Infinity War would change the MCU in huge ways, and I'm excited to find out what that actually means. I imagine we'll be seeing a lot of old favorites exiting the spotlight, leaving the center stage open for a new set of heroes.

Marvel movies are beginning to attract some huge Hollywood veteran actors. Past Marvel movies have featured the likes of Robert Redford, Michael Douglas and Anthony Hopkins, while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 introduces both Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Speaking with Fandango at the junket, Feige admitted that Robert De Niro and Al Pacino met with Marvel at one point, and while they are not currently in the studio's plans, Feige says that we'll be seeing more Hollywood veterans in the very near future:

"There are a few that are coming up, actually. I'll keep this spoiler-free, but be assured that there are more surprises of that caliber heading into our universe in the next few films."

So the question is, who might Feige be thinking about? Black Panther is done shooting and Infinity War is already cast, but there is still room to add a big player to Ant-Man and Wasp, the yet-to-be-titled Avengers 4, and Captain Marvel.

We know that Black Panther is in its last few weeks of shooting, while Spider-man: Homecoming and Thor: Ragnarok are currently in post production. As for the upcoming filming schedule, Feige told Collider that, assuming everything stays on schedule, this is what we can expect:

When the next two Avengers movies were first announced, they were presented as Avengers: Infinity War Part I & II. Marvel has since walked back on that two-parter idea, claiming that the fourth Avengers movie would not be the second part of Infinity War. The big news here is that Marvel is now shooting the films separately back-to-back instead of simultaneously.