In what could almost be considered a side-effect of the excessive spoiler-proofing for Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios’ plans beyond 2019 remain shrouded in mystery, but when the recent report came out that filming for Black Widow was scheduled to begin at the end of February, there was some hope that we may soon get an idea of what the MCU has lined up for us next year, be it through casting announcements or set material. Going by Production Weekly’s latest listings, however, it seems that we still have a few more months to wait until Scarlett Johansson steps back in front of the camera.
The new listing states that principal photography for Black Widow will begin in the UK in June, with filming expected to wrap some time in September. This means that by the time the first set photos emerge, Endgame will have already pointed the way for the MCU’s future, though if reports from last year have it right, then the Cate Shortland-helmed flick will actually be taking us back to before the events of Natasha Romanoff’s MCU debut in 2010’s Iron Man 2.
In any case, it probably shouldn’t come as too great a shock that Black Widow won’t begin filming in the next month, seeing how we’ve yet to hear any casting details for the project. We do, however, know that Captain Marvel co-writer Jac Schaeffer has penned the script, and if the recent rumors are anything to go by, then the movie might well be the MCU’s first R-rated flick. Though still unconfirmed, it’s an idea that Disney CEO Bob Iger lent serious credence to earlier this week when he reaffirmed the company’s intentions for future Marvel movies to go beyond the PG-13 classification.
Regardless, though it was reported last year that Black Widow was aiming for a May 1st, 2020 release date, it remains to be seen whether the new shooting schedule has changed these plans, but hopefully we’ll get a little clarification in the coming months.
