Black Widow was originally set to kick off the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 4 in 2020 until the events of the tragic worldwide pandemic forced it to suffer through multiple delays.
The film, which is finally set to release in theatres on July 9, 2021, will follow Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow as she reunites with her Russian family consisting of Yelena Belova, portrayed by Florence Pugh, as well as Alexei Shostakov, played by David Harbour, and Melina Vostokoff, portrayed by Rachel Weisz. The team will be forced to come together to take on the menacing Taskmaster, a villain making his MCU debut.
It was revealed recently that Marvel Studios hasn't made any changes to the film since before the pandemic, and director Cate Shortland has since elaborated on that report, stating why she and her team left the film as it was.
BLACK WIDOW IS COMPLETE
In a recent interview with Fandango, Black Widow director Cate Shortland was asked why she and Marvel Studios chose not to alter the film during the period of the COVID-19-caused delays.
The filmmaker revealed that she, along with everyone else involved in the film, "worked really hard" before the pandemic and that they achieved a result where they were "happy" with the final product. Shortland also added that there were "moments" where she was tempted to "add more sauce" to scenes in the movie.
"We worked really, really hard as a team for Kevin Feige. The editors, special effects, the composer. We worked really hard at the end, making sure the film was what we wanted it to be. Scarlett's a producer so she was really involved in that. And by the end, we were really happy with our choices. And we felt we wanted the ending to be really heartfelt. We believe it is. Of course, there's moments where you want to, you know, add more sauce to something. But sometimes I think it's good just to leave it."
Shortland also commented on her feelings about the film finally being released after a year of so many delays, stating that it is "exciting" and that she can finally "celebrate:"
"I think the most beautiful part of it is that we get to celebrate. For me, it's about celebrating, because we finished the film and we were all in different cities, and were working remotely. And we never, ever got a chance to celebrate the film. I feel like now we can just finally... it's real. And it's exciting. And I just want to watch it with an audience."
BLACK WIDOW COULD BE A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT
When the MCU is looked at as a whole, it is clear that it can boast some of the biggest accomplishments in cinematic history. The success of Iron Man in 2008 paved the way for the rest of the saga, and Avengers: Endgame broke the box-office record and made more money than any other film in history.
Black Widow may not be on as big of a scale as Endgame was, and it may not be as influential as Iron Man, but it will be Marvel Studios' first film to be released in theatres in two years. It will also serve as the first film in Phase 4, truly kicking off the MCU's next chapter that will not feature cornerstone characters such as Iron Man and Steve Rogers.
Fans have been eagerly waiting for the release of the movie since it was announced, and it is encouraging to hear Shortland talk so positively about the film and also be as excited as she is. It is clear that she and her team put a lot of effort into making Black Widow as great as it can possibly be.
Black Widow will premiere in theaters and on Disney+ via Premier Access on July 9, 2021.
