
Following her Academy Award nomination for the film ‘The Favourite’, Rachel Weisz is said to be in final talks to join the cast of Marvel Studios’ ‘Black Widow’, set to star Scarlett Johansson as her famous ex-spy superhero in her first cinematic solo adventure. Cate Shortland is directing, with a script by Jac Schaeffer and Ned Benson. Joining Johansson in ‘Black Widow’ are Florence Pugh and David Harbour.
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It is not known what character Weisz is set to play. The same goes for Pugh and Harbour. Perhaps that information will become known as the film moves closer to development. Then again, maybe not. We all know how tight-lipped Marvel and Disney can be with their big properties. Regarding Harbour, it has been buzzed that Red Guardian and/or Taskmaster could be in the script. There are also rumblings that Yelena Belova, the “evil Black Widow” could appear, so it’s possible that Weisz or Pugh could portray that character.
It is expected that ‘Black Widow’ will be, at least in part, an origin story that explores Natasha Romanoff’s history, having been raised in the Soviet Red Room, to become a deadly operative. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, she is targeted by her own people, which ultimately leads her to become the efficient S.H.I.E.L.D. operative fans first got to know in ‘Iron Man 2’.
Weisz won an Academy Award in 2006, for ‘The Constant Gardener’. Though she tends to prefer lower-profile artsy movies, like ‘The Lobster’, and ‘The Lovely Bones’, she has ventured into blockbuster fare like ‘The Mummy’ movies, ‘The Bourne Legacy’, and ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’. She previously appeared in another comic book movie, 2005’s ‘Constantine’, with Keanu Reeves.
‘Black Widow’ was previously said to be scheduled for release on May 1, 2020, but It doesn’t appear that this is the case anymore. But if it begins production soon, it could still arrive close to that date.
What do you think about the cast so far?
Source: Variety