Marvel Studios is adding to the roster going forward with Thunderbolts, according to Deadline‘s Justin Kroll. The film will be directed by Jake Schreier from a script by Eric Pearson (Black Widow).
The lore is based on the work of Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley since publishing in 1997 and bares at least eleven incarnations of the titular team of supervillains who band together for government missions. As Kroll notes, while much has been abuzz with the quiet search for a new Fantastic Four director, studio had been focused on developing this particular project and “according to insiders, Schreier presentation in recent weeks blew away execs and ultimately landing him the job”.
Also according to the report, some of the characters in talks to appear include Baron Zemo (played by Daniel Brühl in Captain America: Civil War and Disney+’s Falcon And The Winter Soldier), Yelena Belova (played by Florence Pugh in Black Widow and Disney+’s Hawkeye), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen in Antman And The Wasp), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko in Black Widow), The Abomination (Tim Roth in The Incredible Hulk and Disney+’s upcoming She-Hulk: Attorney At Law), US Agent (Wyatt Russell in Falcon And The Winter Soldier), and the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan in Captain America, Captain America: The Winter Soldier & Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame, Disney+’ Falcon And The Winter Soldier).
Kroll also says one other character who could appear through recasting is the role of General “Thunderbolt” Ross, who recurred in several Marvel Cinematic Universe films via actor William Hurt dating back to 2008’s The Incredible Hulk (Sam Elliott portrayed the character in Ang Lee’s 2003 release of Hulk). It was back in March when the actor passed away from prostate cancer at the age of 71, and the character’s inclusion has not been confirmed, nor any deals have been closed on who would play him.
The report states further that the studio is in touch with “certain individuals” ahead of the film’s summer 2023 shoot. A release date and further details remain pending while Marvel fans can still look forward to big screen rollouts of Thor: Love And Thunder this July, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in November, and more rolling out in theaters next year.
Lead image: Marvel Studios