Harrison Ford is to lead his own superhero squad in the Marvel blockbuster Thunderbolts. The Bear creator Joana Calo is to rework the apparently very dark script.42 years on, Harrison Ford has hung up his Indiana Jones hat and is about to don the Marvel costume. In the upcoming Marvel film Thunderbolts, he is to lead a group of MCU antiheroes into battle. The story so far, which according to a report by the Hollywood Reporter turned out to be very dark, doesn’t seem to have appealed to the producers. That’s why they have now brought The Bear: King of the Kitchen showrunner Joanna Calo on board.
Who does Harrison Ford play in the superhero movie Thunderbolts?
Harrison Ford will play General Thaddeus Ross in Thunderbolts, who already hunted down Steve Rogers’ (Chris Evans) Avengers faction in The First Avenger: Civil War, among others. Before Ford, the character was played on screen by Sam Elliott and William Hurt.
(Thaddeus Ross in the Marvel comics)
In the comics and the Marvel film The Incredible Hulk, he can often be seen in his classic role as the Hulk’s hate-filled adversary. He is seen as bellicose, ruthless and suspicious of the influence of many superheroes. Harrison Ford will make his first Ross appearance in Captain America 4: Brave New World, before appearing as the leader of the titular team in Thunderbolts.
Why does the Thunderbolts script need to be rewritten?
Thunderbolts was postponed several times due to the Hollywood double strike. In the meantime, the Marvel project lost a major star. The in-depth Hollywood Reporter report now reveals details about the story for the first time: apparently, the previous plan was for the Thunderbolts to go on “a mission that would end with their deaths”.
Was the premise too dark for Marvel? The exact reasons for Calo’s hiring are not known. But fans of her exceptional series The Bear will be hoping that she can somehow translate the exciting, dense atmosphere of the kitchen thriller into the gigantic machinery of the MCU.
Who’s on the Thunderbolts team?
Calo’s job won’t be easy, as she has to rework the plot for a whole team of stars. The Thunderbolts include the following Marvel roles:
Harrison Ford as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross
Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier / Bucky Barnes
Florence Pugh as Black Widow / Yelena Belova
Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent (John Walker)
David Harbour as Red Guardian / Alexei Shostakov
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost / Ava Starr
Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster / Antonia Dreykov
When is Thunderbolts coming to theaters?
According to a Hollywood Reporter report, filming on the Marvel movie is set to begin in March 2024. The theatrical release date in Germany is July 23, 2025, with Jake Schreier (Robot and Frank) taking over as director
