Prepare for a very different breed of superhero origin story when Marvel’s Black Widow arrives in theaters next year.
At least, that’s according to star Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), who touched base on Black Widow as part of Variety’s Actors on Actors segment. Asked about her experience working within the MCU – and opposite an actress of Scarlett Johansson’s stature – Pugh was full of praise, and hailed Black Widow as a “very raw, very painful, and very beautiful” superhero flick that may well catch a few people off-guard.
It’s still a big action film at heart, of course, but Pugh is confident that the actual backstory of one Natasha Romanoff will engender a whole new level of appreciation for Scarlett Johansson’s deadly agent – particularly after her selfless act in this year’s Avengers: Endgame.
I think we’ve made something very raw and very painful and very beautiful and I think people are going to be really surprised by the outcome of a big action film having that much heart. And I know lots of people will be emotional about her because her character had such a hard ending but it was special learning from her, and she’s been doing this for like 10 years in those films. For this to be her film was special. And I got to be there and see how she does stunts and lives it, and it’s so her.
If you know your MCU history, you’ll know that Black Widow’s origin was briefly explored in Avengers: Age of Ultron, though 2020 will give us a detailed account of Natasha Romanoff’s actions during the fallout of Captain America: Civil War, when she’s forced to confront a past she hoped to forget. MCU newcomer Cate Shortland is behind the lens for this one, while Johansson and Pugh are joined by an ensemble cast comprised of David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, and O.T. Fagbenle.
The Scarlett Johansson-led Black Widow spinoff makes a beeline for theaters in May of 2020, at which point Marvel Studios will deliver a true sense of closure for one of the original Avengers.