After seven outings as Natasha Romanoff, Scarlett Johansson is finally taking the lead in 2020's
Black Widow.
But what does Marvel Studios have in store for the master assassin?
How, exactly, is Johansson leading a new Marvel movie when her character perished in Avengers:
Endgame?
Here's what we know.
At the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige unveiled the closely-guarded details
of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's "Phase 4," including official release dates for all
of the company's upcoming film and television projects in 2020 and 2021.
This announcement included a May 1st, 2020 release date for Black Widow, which shows
the company's faith in the character.
May is the first month of Hollywood's traditional "Summer Blockbuster" season, where movies
go to rake in the big bucks.
It is obvious that opposing studios are trying to steer clear of the Marvel money-making
machine, with the release calendar surrounding Black Widow being pretty sparse, outside of
counter-programming choices like Trolls: World Tour and the third film in Reese Witherspoon's
Legally Blonde film series.
Continuing their trend of making interesting and unexpected directorial choices, Marvel
Studios has brought on Cate Shortland to direct Black Widow.
Shortland won the gig after a search that had the comic book giant meeting with over
70 potential directors.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the search lasted over half a year and finding a female
filmmaker was priority number one.
Shortland eventually booked the highly-sought-after job over other celebrated finalists.
One factor that surely worked in Shortland's favor was having Johansson in her corner,
as the actress apparently pushed Marvel to hire the director.
Johansson is reportedly a fan of Shortland's female-led 2012 drama Lore, a critically acclaimed,
award-winning picture that tells the story of a young woman who leads her siblings through
Germany in the immediate aftermath of World War II.
Shortland sounds like the ideal candidate to show audiences everywhere exactly how much
red Romanoff's got in her ledger.
"I've got red in my ledger — I'd like to wipe it out."
It should come as no surprise that Marvel Studios is keeping Black Widow plot details
hush-hush at the moment, as that tends to be their general modus operandi.
Of the few details that members of the cast and crew have let loose, it is interesting
that the film is set after Captain America: Civil War and before the cataclysmic events
of Avengers: Infinity War.
Marvel seems to be taking a more grounded approach to their latest picture, which makes
sense following the outrageous bombast of the last two Avengers movies and the globe-trotting
adventures of Spider-Man: Far from Home.
After seeing the footage Marvel Studios screened during the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, Screen
Rant's Molly Freeman mentioned the company, quote, "previewed a more grounded MCU movie,
one rooted in practical fights and a deeper dive into Natasha's world of espionage."
Given the vast variety of different comic books Marvel releases on a yearly basis, it
is refreshing to see their big screen counterpart begin to bring different styles of superhero
storytelling to the theater.
To the delight of Marvel fans everywhere, Scarlett Johansson has signed on to return
as Black Widow and garnered a significant pay increase to do so.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Johansson will finally be making an amount of money
that is equal to her male counterparts she will be paid $15 million to appear in Black
Widow, the same amount Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth each earned for playing Captain
America and Thor in Avengers: Infinity War.
For her part, Johnasson is excited to be returning to the role for which she has become most
famous.
Playing the Widow this time around should provide the actress with more opportunity
than ever to dive deep into the character as a lead rather than a supporting part.
Johansson told Entertainment Weekly:
"Where we find Natasha in her life at this point is very specific.
She really is in a dark place where she's got no one to call and nowhere to go.
She's really grappling with her own self."
"Sir, I'm afraid no alcohol is allowed off the premises."
"I can do anything I want…
I'm the chief of police."
Having hit a new level of nationwide recognition due to starring in Netflix's retro phenomenon
Stranger Things, experienced character actor David Harbour has been using that exposure
to book bigger gigs in Hollywood including, of course, his upcoming role as the Red Guardian
in Black Widow.
Introduced way back in 1967's Avengers #43, Alexei Shostakov a.k.a. the Red Guardian was
an acclaimed test pilot whose heroism caught the attention of the Russian authorities who
wanted a national hero to represent them, just as Captain America represented the United
States.
Harbour is excited for his chance to play a Russian take on the Captain America-esque
soldier.
He told EW:
"In a way he's a super-soldier, but he's also a very complicated guy.
He has a lot of flaws, a lot of idiosyncrasies.
It's a very rich character."
If you are not an avid reader of Marvel Comics, you might be surprised to learn that Natasha
Romanoff is not the only Black Widow.
Another character who has used the moniker is Yelena Belova, initially created as an
antagonist for Romanoff in the late 1990s.
Florence Pugh will be starring in Black Widow as Belova, though it is unknown if she will
be a protagonist, antagonist, or something in-between.
Pugh has turned heads in recent years, having turned in an award-winning performance in
2016's Lady Macbeth as well as starring in the critically-acclaimed 2019 horror film
Midsommar.
The actress describes Belova as Natasha's, quote, "sister figure" and has teased fans
by saying:
"They meet one another and it's quite heightened and heated."
As the 2020 release date for Black Widow creeps closer and closer, more details keep leaking
out on the next chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Outside of Johansson, Rachel Weisz is the biggest Hollywood name set to appear in Black
Widow.
The English actress is a true movie star, having appeared in everything from blockbusters
like 1999's The Mummy and 2012's The Bourne Legacy to awards fare like 2005's The Constant
Gardener and 2018's The Favourite.
She'll star as yet another Black Widow named Melina, an original character for the film
who is apparently just one of numerous women to wear that mantle.
The Handmaid's Tale's O-T Fagbenle has been cast as Mason, an ally from Romanoff's S.H.I.E.L.D.
days who is romantically interested in her, while prolific English actor Ray Winstone
has been cast in an undisclosed role.
Even though there has not been an official casting announcement nor confirmation that
the character is in the film, based on the footage shown at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con,
it appears that classic Marvel Comics villain Taskmaster will have a part to play in all
of the mayhem.
A supervillain with genius-level intellect, Taskmaster continues the "trust no one" theme
that Marvel seems to be going for with Black Widow.
There have been times through his publication history in Marvel Comics where Taskmaster
has proven to be an anti-hero, working with superheroes against the evil powers that be.
Only time will tell what role he plays in Natasha Romanoff's next and likely final big-screen
outing.
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