Natasha Romanoff has come a long way since Scarlett Johansson first stepped into the role during the events of Iron Man 2. The badass spy/former KBG assassin has been through the physical and emotional wringer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, all without ever taking center stage in her own film. That said, a Black Widow movie is finally in development at Marvel Studios, and it looks like the project is now closing in on three different filmmakers to potentially get behind the camera for the film.
According to a report from THR, it appears that the search for the Black Widow movie's director has been narrowed down to three specific names. First on the list is Deniz Gamze Erguven, best known for her work on the Turkish film, Mustang. Second is Chloe Zhao, who is most well-known for The Rider. Last on the list is Amma Asante, who recently debuted A United Kingdom to widespread critical acclaim. There's currently no word as to which of these filmmakers will actually be the one to take on the Black Widow movie (the hunt has been described as "ongoing"), but this helps give us a much better sense of what Marvel might be looking for in a director.
Of course, there's one clear thing that pops up when looking at these three names: all of the directors are women. As Black Widow is the most widely-exposed and seasoned female hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it looks like Marvel Studios wants to take a page from the Wonder Woman handbook and put a woman in the director's chair. Moreover, it's also worth noting the fact that none of these directors have worked on blockbuster films before, thus suggesting that Marvel wants to work with up-and-coming talents who have made strong impressions in the indie scene.
As far as plot details are concerned, we still don't know much about the overarching narrative of the Black Widow movie. Having said that, recent rumors have suggested that the potential Phase 4 film could take place before the events of the first Iron Man and follow a younger Widow as she struggles with her allegiance to the KGB and eventually becomes a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
The Black Widow movie isn't the only female-driven project currently on Marvel's radar. In fact, Captain Marvel is now in the middle of production, and that film similarly has a woman in the director's chair, with Anna Boden sharing the helming duties with Ryan Fleck. Captain Marvel will mark the MCU's first-ever female-led comic book movie, but it's becoming increasingly clear that will only open the door for more opportunity and female-driven stories going forward.
Until we learn more about the Black Widow movie (particularly with regards to who will step behind the camera), you can catch Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff in Avengers: Infinity War, which is currently in theaters. Looking for more information on the latest Marvel blockbuster? Then make sure to check out our full review of the movie (not to mention our review roundup), as well as our comprehensive To 3D guide to get a better sense of which Infinity War ticket is worth your hard-earned money.
