Director Shortlist For Black Widow Movie Revealed

Day by day, we’re beginning to form a better understanding of Marvel’s nascent Black Widow movie.

It currently has Jac Schaeffer on script duties and is said to be targeting a release in 2020, where it will presumably join Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and a third, as-yet-unrevealed Phase 4 film.

So far, so good. But as Infinity War begins its global rollout, and most of Marvel’s high-ranking figures continue talking to the press, it’s fair to say that the rumor mill has been operating at full tilt.

Case in point: The Hollywood Reporter is telling us today that the studio currently has their eye on three female directors for the project. Those would be Deniz Gamze Erguven (Mustang), Chloe Zhao (The Rider) and Amma Asante (A United Kingdom). Furthermore, Variety’s Justin Kroll adds that Maggie Betts (Novitiate) and Angela Robinson (Herbie: Fully Loaded) have also met for the movie. From what we understand, there’s no frontrunner just yet and the search is still underway, but Marvel’s expected to pick someone soon.

As far as plot details are concerned, Johansson has previously teased that she’d like to see a Black Widow solo film explore Natasha Romanoff’s past as a Russian agent and her training in the Red Room, as hinted in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It remains to be seen, though, what form Schaeffer’s script’s taking.

If one thing’s for certain, though, it’s that Johansson’s in it for the long-haul, after telling Entertainment Tonight that she relishes her time in the MCU.

“I love playing this character, and I think there is definitely an opportunity to explore the Widow as a woman who has kind of come into her own and is making independent and active choices for herself probably for once in her life. You know she hasn’t always had that possibility so if it fit that criteria then yes I would want to do it.”

While we wait to hear more about this planned Black Widow movie, and who’ll direct it, fans can take comfort in the fact that the character is now back on our screens thanks to Avengers: Infinity War, which is in the process of storming theaters around the world.