According to Deadline, Marvel Studios has tapped Jake Schreier to be the director of the “top-secret” project with Marvel’s Black Widow’s writer, Eric Pearson, penning the script and Kevin Feige overseeing the entire thing.
Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova could join the lineup of not-so-goody two-shoes, which The Wrap corroborated in a separate report. The others that might sign onto the still-unannounced MCU film are Sebastien Stan’s Winter Soldier, Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost, Wyatt Russell’s US Agent, Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster, Tim Roth’s Abomination, as well as Daniel Brühl’s Baron Zemo, who, in the comic books, was the original founder of the said team.
Deadline adds that Marvel Studios is keeping an open line of communication with multiple actors about this project to make sure that they keep their schedules free next summer for a potential production schedule. Most likely, we’ll hear more about the Thunderbolts movie on September 10 at the D23 Expo, as Marvel Studios is set to reveal its upcoming slate of movies and shows for 2023 and beyond.
Thunderbolts is kind of like Marvel’s version of DC’s The Suicide Squad. Although the group was initially just a front for the Baron Zemo-led Masters of Evil, it has done a lot of good over the years. Also, unlike The Suicide Squad, which is composed of members with literal ticking time bombs embedded inside their brands, the Thunderbolts joined up for a variety of reasons. In a way, they’re sort of like the anti-Avengers team as they’re willing to go to extreme (well, questionable) lengths to get the job done.
Having said that, it’s not entirely impossible for Belova, US Agent, and Baron Zemo, to come back for a Thunderbolts mash-up. Baron Zemo and Belova, in particular, are fan-favorite characters.
Meanwhile, US Agent, despite all the criticism, has its fair share of fans. not to mention, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Contessa Fontaine approached US Agent in the fifth episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier about joining her team. Fontaine was also the one who hired Belova to take out Hawkeye. Finally, Fontaine might recruit Zemo next to help lead the Thunderbolts, just like in the comic books.
In the meantime, Marvel fans can keep themselves busy with Ms. Marvel, which launched on Disney+. Thor: Love and Thunder is also set to hit theaters on July 8.
