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The news cycle over the past few weeks has been dizzying, as global concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic have altered daily life. The entertainment industry has largely come to a halt, with movies delayed and sets indefinitely shut down. One of the highly anticipated movies to be pulled from its release date is Cate Shortland's Black Widow. The long awaited solo flick was originally set to kick off Phase Four of the MCU, an honor that will now go to The Eternals in November. But at least one major aspect of Black Widow is still being worked on, despite its delay.
Black Widow's original release date was May 1st, exactly one month from today at the time of writing. It's currently unclear when the movie will finally hit theaters, but luckily it turns out that Marvel is still working on getting it ready for release; namely, the score is still being worked on. In fact, a new report indicates that composer Alexandre Desplat has been replaced as composer by Lorne Balfe. So while the industry might be on pause, Marvel Studios is still working on Natasha Romanoff's solo flick.
This latest update comes to us from Film Music Reporter, an outlet that focuses on the music side of film production. The shakeup of Black Widow's composer will likely come to a surprise to fans, considering how close we are to the movie's original release date. It goes to show how much work really goes into each new Marvel movie, even when movies are just a month away from release.
I have to wonder if Black Widows's change in composer would have still occurred if the movie wasn't delayed. In that case the deadline to complete the project would have been much tighter. So perhaps the film's delay is a blessing in disguise for Black Widow, allowing the chance to change things up-- especially regarding its score.
Marvel fans can re-watch Black Widow's time in the MCU on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial to the streaming service.
This isn't the first time that composer Alexandre Desplat has been unceremoniously taken off of a major Disney owned blockbuster. He was previously removed from his position scoring Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. But these creative differences aren't a statement about Desplat's work, as he's had a long and celebrated career scoring movies, even earning Oscars for his work on The Shape of Water and The Grand Budapest Hotel.
As for his replacement Lorne Balfe, he's worked on plenty of action-packed blockbusters before. Balfe's lengthy resume includes Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Bad Boys for Life, and Pacific Rim: Uprising. As such, Black Widow seems like a great fit for his specific set of skills.
It's currently unclear when Black Widow will head to theaters, but The Eternals is expected to be the first installment in Phase Four on November 4th. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
