A standalone Black Widow movie is in the early stages of development – you know it, I know it, and Chris Evans knows it, too.
Six weeks ago, Marvel Studios stirred excitement online by placing Jac Schaeffer in charge of Natasha Romanoff’s spinoff, and the subsequent rumors have been coming in thick and fast.
Between talk of a potential release window – 2020 is said to be the current target – and ScarJo’s suitably huge payday, the Black Widow solo movie has generated a metric ton of buzz for a project that’s yet to nail down a director of its own. However that may be, it is moving forward at Marvel Studios, as Tessa Thompson (Thor: Ragnarok) confirmed as much during a recent chat with Entertainment Tonight.
Not only that, but the MCU favorite, who so brilliantly brought Valkyrie to life late last year, revealed her desire to join forces with Danai Gurira – better known to you, I and the people of Wakanda as Black Panther‘s Okoye.
I mean, Okoye is pretty cool. I mean, I bow down to her! Valkyrie would just be like ‘Sis! My long lost sis!’ Just because she’s like, you know, the leader of the Valkyrie of Wakanda. So that would be exciting. Obviously, it’d be so cool to team up with Black Widow, as Scarlett Johansson is sort of OG superhero. Both [Okoye and Black Widow]. Or just the three of us over lunch.
Either way, when it comes to the MCU, it appears the future is female, as Thompson recently hinted at a marked uptick in movies headed up the MCU’s leading ladies.
I think [Marvel boss] Kevin Feige is really excited by the idea, and if you look at what’s happened already in Phase 4 with me and [Thompson’s character] Valkyrie and our story, and then in Black Panther the women rule supreme. There’s an interest – they’re doing Captain Marvel, they’re doing a Black Widow – there’s an interest in having women at the forefront of this phase. I feel like it’s hopeful, who knows.
Perhaps we’ll see Valkyrie and Okoye share the same ground in Avengers: Infinity War? It’s certainly possible, though Marvel is yet to detail any firm plans for Tessa Thompson’s bounty hunter beyond Thor: Ragnarok. Stay tuned for more on that front.
