It's beginning to look like Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer are about to become superheroes. The actresses are both in talks with Netflix to star in the upcoming Thunder Force project where the duo will reportedly be superheroes. McCarthy's long-time collaborator and husband Ben Falcone wrote the screenplay and will direct the project. Story details are being kept under wraps, but it is believed that McCarthy and Spencer will somehow obtain super powers. As to what they do with them or what they are, that is unclear at this time.
Netflix recently stopped working with Marvel, so they're looking to boost their superhero content. The streaming platform recently released Umbrella Academy Season 1 and is already getting ready to start Season 2. Additionally, they signed Mark Millar, the creator of Kingsman and Kick-Ass, to a new deal which could result in more superhero content too. While details surrounding Thunder Force are scarce at the moment, it is believed that it will be a superhero comedy, which makes perfect sense.
Thunder Force will be produced by Marc Platt, Ben Falcone, and Melissa McCarthy, who is fresh off of an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Lee Israel in Will You Ever Forgive Me? Octavia Spencer previously won an Oscar for The Help and is currently enjoying the success of the Best Picture winning Green Book, which she was an executive producer on. Spencer has also been nominated for her work in Hidden Figures and The Shape of Water. Thunder Force is going to have some super powered acting behind it, that is for sure.
Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone previously collaborated on Tammy, The Boss, and Life of the Party. Their upcoming comedy, Superintelligence, stars McCarthy alongside Brian Tyree Henry, Bobby Cannavale, and James Corden. The movie is set to hit theaters at the end of this year. Octavia Spencer will next be seen on the big screen in the psychological horror-thriller Ma, which opens on May 31st. The movie also stars Juliette Lewis, Diana Silvers, Luke Evans, and McKaley Miller. Both Spencer and McCarthy are definitely not afraid to spread their wings and try new things and Thunder Force will probably be something drastically different for the both of them.
Thunder Force could end up being a huge hit for Netflix. Having Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer on board is a big deal and just thinking of them as superheroes is enough to get a lot of people to check it out. There currently is no production start time or official release date. With that being said, one can easily see the project heading into production this summer or possibly late this year for a 2020 release date. This is a developing story and more Thunder Force news is expected to drop soon. Deadline was the first to report the Octavia Spencer and Melissa McCarthy superhero news.