It’s already been delayed twice, and with its current release date creeping up fast and many parts of the world still in shutdown, there’s mounting speculation as to whether we’ll finally get to see Marvel Studios’ Black Widow this May.
Back in January, reports began circulating that Disney was considering a hybrid theatrical and streaming release for the Scarlett Johansson-led superhero blockbuster, similar to Warner Bros.’ entire 2021 slate debuting on HBO Max – save for the small matter of a premium Premier Access fee.
The Mouse House denied those reports at the time, and now Disney CEO Bob Chapek has reaffirmed that Black Widow is being targeted for the big screen, for now at least:
“We are still intending for it to be a theatrical release,” said Chapek (via THR). “We are going to be watching very carefully to see whether that strategy needs to be revisited.”
Meanwhile, a report over at Variety states that Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige is “opposed to a hybrid rollout” and that his “opinion certainly carries considerable weight at Disney”, which is unsurprisingly given the box office juggernaut he’s crafted for the studio with the MCU. However, as the trade’s source goes on to state, “that doesn’t mean the powers that be can’t eventually convince Feige to change his mind – or overrule him completely.”
Disney is going to have to make a decision on Black Widow soon, and any further delay is also likely to impact at least some of the Phase Four slate such as the Hawkeye series, which sees Florence Pugh reprising her Black Widow role as Yelena Belova.
SEE ALSO: Marvel Studios’ Phase Four plan remains the same despite delays and re-ordering
Would you like to see Black Widow delayed until later in the year, or is it time to go down the streaming route? Let us know your thoughts on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
In Marvel Studios’ action-packed spy thriller “Black Widow,” Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.
Black Widow is being directed by Cate Shortland (Lore) and sees Scarlett Johansson reprising her role as Natasha Romanoff alongside Florence Pugh (Fighting With My Family) as Yelena Belova, O-T Fagbenle (The Handmaid’s Tale) as Mason, David Harbour (Stranger Things) as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Rachel Weisz (The Favourite) as Melina Vostokoff/Iron Maiden, Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast) as Dreykov and Olivier Richters (The King’s Man) in an as-yet-unrevealed role.
