Marvel seems to be putting a lot of things to the test at the moment. This may also be behind a change that has now been announced for “Thunderbolts”. The script of the film about Marvel’s anti-Avengers is being completely revised again.
Talking to industry magazine Variety, writer Lee Sung Jin reports that he is now in charge of the script for Marvel’s Thunderbolts: “I’m rewriting it.” In doing so, it appears that this is an extensive rewrite of the script and not just a few tweaks. He makes no mention of the previous script by “Black Widow” writer Eric Pearson. He works for director Jake Schreier, who brought him on board. Actually, Jin wanted to take a break, but the themes of the film excited him so much that he had to take over.
Schreier and Jin have just started working together. Jin developed the soon to be launched Netflix series “BEEF”, which Schreier directed. For the next joint project, however, the signs are now reversed. In “BEEF”, Jin was the boss and Schreier worked for him. “Thunderbolts” is now Schreier’s project. But the process is very similar because they both exchange ideas every day.
“MARVEL’S THUNDERBOLTS”: MANY FAMILIAR FACES AND STEVEN YEUN
“Thunderbolts” thus brings the old “BEEF” gang back together, as Jin notes – and not only behind the camera. It has been known for some time that “BEEF” leading man Steven Yeun is to play an important role in the upcoming MCU film. It is not known which part Yeun, who is also known from “The Walking Dead” and the movie “Nope”, will play. However, it is said to be a role that is important in the MCU beyond the film.
Many speculate that he plays one of the most powerful Marvel characters ever, Robert Reynolds aka Sentry. This was created through experiments with the super-soldier serum, but in him it did not only lead to superhuman strength and speed. Among other things, he can shoot light from his hands, heal himself (and even come back from the dead in the comics) and manipulate minds.
Besides Yeun, we see above all many well-known (anti-)heroines who are now to form a team under the leadership of Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine. Joining them are Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova aka Black Widow, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russell as John Walker aka US Agent, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov aka The Red Guardian, Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov aka Taskmaster and Harrison Ford, who will follow in the footsteps of the late William Hurt as Thunderbolt Ross.
There was some confusion recently about the involvement of Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr aka Ghost. After many MCU insiders suspected that she was written out of the script during revisions, the actress just declared in an interview: “I’m definitely in! A thousand percent! That’s all I can reveal. “
MCU ON THE TEST BENCH: LESS IS SOMETIMES MORE!
A lot seems to be on trial at the MCU at the moment. Behind the scenes, there are major personnel changes that have recently made waves. It has already been communicated to the outside world that they have gone a little overboard with numerous films and series. The release schedule for the series has now been adjusted somewhat.
Most recently, a Marvel film, “Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania”, disappointed at the box office, which should set some alarm bells ringing at the studio. However, it is not clear whether the “Thunderbolts” revisions are also related to the recent changes and course corrections.
It is very possible that director Schreier and the Marvel team around boss Kevin Feige were simply not satisfied with the original script. In any case, Lee Sung Jin is likely to have very little time for his rewrites. “Thunderbolts” is scheduled to hit theatres on July 24, 2024, so filming will have to start very soon if Marvel doesn’t want to push back the date (though some are already rumoring this).
Harrison Ford & Tim Blake Nelson have officially started filming CaptainAmericaNewWorldOrder! Check out the latest set pics here: https://t.co/ATS0Pjuqhd
– JustJared.com (@JustJared) March 29, 2023
It was actually assumed that the work would begin directly after the currently ongoing filming of “Captain America 4: New World Order”. By the way, Harrison Ford just had his first day on set there as the new Thunderbolt Ross. We have included a link to the circulating pictures as a tweet above this paragraph because many MCU fans are soaking them up with great curiosity. Don’t expect too much, though. It’s just Harrison Ford in a blue shirt and tie.
