Marvel kicked off its SDCC 2019 panel today by announcing a slew of movies. In line with expectations, Marvel Studios officially confirmed Black Widow in development for a May 1, 2020 release. The studio confirmed the official cast comprising of Scarlett Johansson, David Harbor, Florence Pugh, O. T-Fagbenle and Rachel Weisz with Cate Shortland directing. An official logo was also revealed.
More importantly though, Feige brought out the cast and confirmed their roles or character names. David Harbor is playing Alexei while Florence Pugh plays Yelena Belova, as previously rumored. Fagbanle plays Mason, Rachel Weisz plays Melina and finally, Johansson herself as Natasha Romanoff. Shortland then took the stage to talk about what drew her to the movie.
What drew me to the story is that she has so many secrets. And she’s got so much vulnerability and I think that’s what makes her such a great heroine. And I think in this film we get to understand her past and she gets to put all the pieces of herself back together and come out as a whole person and I’m really excited about helping her on that journey.
Johannson then took the mike to share her excitement and enthusiasm about what made her come back to the role of Black Widow.
I don’t think I culd’ve played this iteration of Natasha 10 years ago, it would have been a very different film. I get to play Natasha as a fully realized woman and in all of her many facets and I’m excited for fans to see the flawed side of her. And I’m looking to wipe out some of that red in my ledger.
Riding high on the success of Stranger Things 3 (again, to a wild applause), was asked if he’s excited to join the MCU. He screamed, “Who writes these questions. This is the dumbest question … Am I excited to expand my fan base in the Marvel Universe? Hell yeah.
We did get some bits of concrete info. Specifically, Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova plays a sister figure to Black Widow, which kind of fits in with the rumors of Johannson passing off the mantle to her. Fagbanle’s character is a contact for Black Widow outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Fury. Some footage was demoed as well, including an action sequence.
Practically none of this comes as a wholesome surprise. Fans had known all along that a Black Widow movie is shooting across Norway and London thanks to numerous set photos. The logo itself was recently leaked through a set image. Regardless, it’s good to now finally have confirmation so the cast can at least talk about the movie in an official capacity, without having to resort to fake denials about its non-existence.
Black Widow hits theaters on May 1, 2020. Follow our Appocalypse Hub for all the movie’s coverage.