The Black Widow Movie Is Eyeing A Favourite Star

The Favourite Rachel Weisz sitting in front of a fire, listening to the Queen intently

There must be something in the water over at Marvel Studios, as the Black Widow film has been rapidly filling out its cast as of late. With Fighting With My Family’s Florence Pugh and Stranger Things’ David Harbour both jumping on board as of late, Scarlett Johansson’s solo flight in the MCU is looking to have quite a formidable roster of potential heroes and villains. And that team is about to get a little more interesting, as Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz is the latest name to be brought into consideration for a spot on the bench.

No contracts have been signed yet, so Rachel Weisz’s potential hiring is still a bit up in the air. But sources that have information on the possibility say that both camps are pretty sweet on the deal. At this point, it sounds like the only thing that could possibly derail this prospect are those old favorites: scheduling conflicts and terms of the agreement. In the face of such expectations, I'm pretty damned excited to see this happening.

Of course, there’s no insight into who Black Widow has in mind for Rachel Weisz to play, merely that it’s a “key role.” Whether that position involves a villainous protagonist that dogs Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff throughout this long awaited adventure, or if it’s more of an advising presence that supports her journey in various parts of her journey, is left unknown. Still, casting Weisz is a wonderfully bold move to begin with.

Fresh off of her recent Academy Award nomination for The Favourite, Rachel Weisz has the type of resume that screams Marvel greatness. Be it her performances in popcorn films like Stephen Sommers’ first two Mummy films with Brendan Fraser, or in thought provoking independent films like Disobedience, Weisz has played a wide field of material. So bringing her on board for an entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Variety has apparently sniffed out, would only be beneficial to Black Widow’s chances at success.

Other key talent for Black Widow includes writer Jac Schaeffer, who provided the intial draft, as well as writer Ned Benson, who was recently hired to give that draft some rewrites. Director Cate Shortland, best known for her work on Showtime’s SMILF and last year’s thriller Berlin Syndrome, is on deck to direct this film that looks to be coming down the pipe at some point in Phase 4. As this project is currently in the earlier stages of development, information is scarce as to plot and character info. But even in the face of such uncertainty, it should be known that this casting is a very Weisz choice.

Black Widow is currently without a release date, but when it does land a slot for debut, you can bet it’ll find its way into our Phase 4 calendar for upcoming Marvel movies. In the meantime, you can see Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha doing whatever it takes to help out in Avengers: Endgame, on April 26th; provided you were lucky enough to get tickets for that weekend.

Mike Reyes
Senior Movies Contributor

Mike Reyes is the Senior Movie Contributor at CinemaBlend, though that title’s more of a guideline really. Passionate about entertainment since grade school, the movies have always held a special place in his life, which explains his current occupation. Mike graduated from Drew University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, but swore off of running for public office a long time ago. Mike's expertise ranges from James Bond to everything Alita, making for a brilliantly eclectic resume. He fights for the user.