It’s no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had a tough time following Avengers: Endgame when it comes to box office success. While there have still been successes like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, other films have struggled. Marvel is certainly looking to get its mojo back with some upcoming projects, and it may have found an intriguing way of doing that with Thunderbolts.
The upcoming movie about Marvel’s team of anti-heroes has been going through its own trials and tribulations of late, with more than one member of the Thunderbolts cast jumping ship ahead of production. Scheduling conflicts are the official cause, but with the movie looking to start filming next month, THR reports that Joanna Calo, showrunner of The Bear has been brought on to work on the script ahead of principal photography. Considering how popular and well-regarded The Bear is, her inclusion is going to carry a lot of weight, and she can likely add something unique to the MCU that we haven’t seen before.
Ironically, the addition of the showrunner for The Bear comes on the heels of one of the stars of The Bear, Ayo Edebiri, dropping out of the production. Both she and Steven Yeun were originally cast in the film before scheduling conflicts, likely the result of the delayed production caused by the writers' and actors' strikes, changed things. Geraldine Viswanathan, who will be seen in Drive Away Dolls released this weekend, will take over for Edebiri, while Lewis Pullman will take over for Yeun.
While the production may have been pushed back, the movie now has slightly less time to get completed. The recent announcement of the official Fantastic Four cast came with the news that the first family of Marvel’s first MCU adventure would release on the old Thunderbolts release date in July of 2025. Thunderbolts was moved up to an early May release.
Thunderbolts will see the return of several MCU characters, Avengers-style, with Florence Pugh returning as Yelena, the heir apparent to Black Widow, and Sebastian Stan on hand as the Winter Soldier. Recent reports have also indicated that Laurence Fishburne and Rachel Weisz will also be reprising their roles from Ant-Man and the Wasp and Black Widow respectively.
With Thunderbolts production looking to start soon, hopefully, the changes to the cast are done, and the last-minute script polishing will help fine-tune the movie into something special. We have two upcoming Marvel movies before we get to Thunderbolts with Deadpool & Wolverine arriving in July and Captain America: Brave New World set for early 2025.
