Black Widow Director Offers Exciting Update On Scarlett Johansson’s Marvel Movie

Black Widow in Age of Ultron's flashback

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an ever growing place, and there are a number of highly anticipated projects coming down the line. Chief among them is Cate Shortland’s Black Widow, which will finally give the titular Avenger a solo flick of her own. And the director’s latest update about the long delayed blockbuster is sure to excite Marvel fans.

Black Widow was originally supposed to arrive a year ago, and was pushed back three times as a result of the pandemic’s effect on the industry. Scarlett Johansson’s long-awaited solo movie will arrive shortly on theaters and in homes, and director Cate Shortland recently revealed just how prepared they are for this moment, saying:

The film has been fully finished – and untouched – for a year now, just waiting to be unleashed on audiences.

Well, this is exciting. Because while Cate Shortland, Kevin Feige and company were given extra time to sit on the contents of Black Widow, they didn’t actually use it to make changes. Instead, the highly anticipated Marvel release will remain just as it was a year ago.

Cate Shortland’s comments to Empire (via Screen Rant) show how the Black Widow director is sticking to her guns ahead of the movie’s release. Shortland and Scarlett Johansson are telling a very specific story, unraveling Natasha’s dark history while giving new context to her sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame. And said narrative wasn’t changed by the movie’s many delays.

Marvel fans can re-watch Scarlett Johnasson’s time in the MCU on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Black Widow was originally meant to hit theaters over a year ago, at the beginning of last May. But when theaters were closed releases stopped rollingout. Considering how much Marvel movies are known for making at the box office, it makes sense that the House of Mouse would continually push back the movie’s release.

Luckily for those inpatient fans, our questions about Black Widow will finally be answered in a month. In the end Disney decided on a two-pronged release for Scarlett Johnasson’s starring blockbuster. So while fans will return to theaters, the movie will also be available for a price on Disney+. Natasha Romanoff’s MCU sendoff has truly never felt more real.

Black Widow will arrive on July 9th. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. Feel free to also learn what else the MCU is sending to the big screen with the upcoming Marvel movies guide.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.