The Russo Brothers are in the midst of simultaneously shooting both Avengers: Infinity War and the tentatively titled Avengers 4. Not counting the marketing budget, the films’ combined production budget is, without a question, very high, considering that it touts one of the biggest ensemble casts anyone has ever seen.

Now a new report seems to confirm that notion, as the production budget reportedly goes as high as $1 billion. Yes, that’s with a B. No. There is no nefarious Doctor Evil laugh. More on the story below.

It’s very important to say that these figures have not been confirmed by anyone; however, considering the size and scope of these two films, one should not be surprised that such a number is coming out. The Atlanta Business Chronicle was covering the African American Film Critics Luncheon where Pinewood Studios co-owner Dan Cathy spoke about a certain film that has a $1 billion budget. While he wouldn’t mention the film specifically, it is safe to assume that he is talking about the two Avengers films, since the studio is home to many superhero productions. And considering that both Avengers movies are shooting as we speak, well, why else would he bring those numbers up?

Other major blockbuster films that have shot there include Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Sony’s Passengers and Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Not only do we have to take the production budget into consideration, but there’s also the cast contracts. Robert Downey Jr., who has been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the very beginning, made a reported $40 million for Avengers: Age of Ultron and another $20 million for Captain America: Civil War. It’s not clear how much he is getting for his role in Spider-Man: Homecoming. But appearing in all these Marvel films does add up to quite a bit of money, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he got a bigger slice of the pie. Then there’s also the fact that the film will also include every major character that has appeared in the MCU.

There is no confirmation on the production budget at this time, so there is a chance that Cathy may have been exaggerating those numbers.

[Source: Atlanta Business Chronicle]