For over a year now, rumors of a Thunderbolts movie being in development have been constantly banded around and as Phase 4 of the MCU has expanded, the idea has become more and more likely. Now it looks like a project centering on some of the recently added or returning villains of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is moving forward with Jake Schreier directing from a script by Eric Pearson, who worked on the Black Widow script. Deadline reported that while there has been no confirmation of which characters will be involved, Marvel Studios have been in contact with certain actors to clear a space in their schedule for filming next summer.
According to insiders, a presentation made by Schreier to helm the Thunderbolts movie was made a few weeks ago and “blew away execs” to get him the job. Having started in the business making music videos, the director’s resume is not extensive, but he has made his mark working on Netflix series Beef and FX show Dave, as well as having helmed 2013’s Robot & Frank and 2015’s Paper Towns.
For now, there are no other details known about the project, but it is quite easy to piece together some possible inclusions in the movie from certain developments in Phase 4 so far. There are plenty of characters that could potentially play a part in the Thunderbolts movie, from Baron Zemo and Taskmaster to Ghost, Deadpool, The Punisher and even the Winter Soldier. However, in the post credit scenes of Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) has been seen approaching both Yelena Belova and US Agent, which could suggest that it will be Valentina heading up the team rather than Thaddeus Ross, who assembles the group in the comic books.
Of course William Hurt, who has played Ross in the MCU since his first appearance in The Incredible Hulk, passed away earlier this year, meaning that there would have to be either another actor cast in the role of Ross or an alternative route found. With Marvel unlikely to want to recast the role of Ross, it would make sense for Julia Louis Dreyfus’s Val to step into the breach.
Thunderbolts Is One Of A Number of New Groups Coming To The MCU
As well as the Thunderbolts, rumors have been building of a number of other well-known Marvel groups appearing in the MCU’s upcoming movie. The Fantastic Four are confirmed to be arriving at the end of Phase 4 or start of Phase 5, a number of recent character additions suggest that the Young Avengers could make an appearance at some point, and the introduction of the likes of Blade, Moon Knight and Werewolf by Night has also indicated the Midnight Sons could also be heading our way soon.
Kevin Feige has recently been working on plans for the next ten years of the MCU, but considering how far in advance Marvel Studios make their plans, the Thunderbolts project has probably been in development for a number of years already. Expect to see more information as it develops in the coming months.