If a recent listing from Production Weekly is anything to go by, then shooting for Black Widow has now been pushed from its previously scheduled date in February to some time in June. But while fans may be disappointed that we’ll have to wait a little longer to see the first set material from Natasha Romanoff’s solo debut, it seems that Marvel Studios is making use of those extra four months by bringing in a new scribe for rewrites.
According to Collider, writer Ned Benson impressed Marvel executives with his work on The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby – a collective of three interconnected dramas that were released in the span of 2013 to 2014 – and have hired him to make some changes to the script of the Cate Shortland-helmed film. The screenplay’s previous draft was penned by Jac Schaeffer, whose other credits include upcoming comedy The Hustle, and has also been hired as showrunner for the planned Vision and Scarlet Witch TV show.
Though plot details are in short supply, it’s widely believed that Black Widow will serve as a prequel to Nat’s MCU adventures from the last decade. It’s also a prominent rumor that the movie will be Marvel Studios’ first R-rated feature, and while the claim has yet to be confirmed, Disney CEO Bob Iger certainly made the idea sound pretty plausible earlier this month when he mentioned that the company is open to making Marvel movies that go beyond the PG-13 rating.
Either way, though it remains to be seen whether Black Widow is still headed for its previously reported May 1st, 2020 release date, hopefully Marvel Studios can throw us a few official details in the coming months.