Rumors about the upcoming Black Widow movie are emerging thick and fast this week, with the latest suggesting Florence Pugh could play Yelena Belova. Among the many leaks revealed by UK newspaper The Independent, one of the most intriguing is the addition of Belova as a potential foil for ScarJo’s Natasha Romanoff.
For those unfamiliar with the character, after receiving the same training as Romanoff, Belova also used the name Black Widow for her spy activities. She often disagreed with Romanoff though over how they should use their abilities, as well as appearing on different sides of the battle between good and evil in the Marvel Comics Universe. As Black Widow will most likely include scenes focusing on Romanoff’s early life, we may see her facing off against Belova in the Red Room academy.
If “Roger Wardell,” the source behind these leaks is to be believed, Florence Pugh has beaten other contenders such as Emma Watson to the role. That’d certainly make sense, as she already has experience acting as a spy in the TV series The Little Drummer Girl, and will be the anchor behind the soon-to-be-released Midsommar from Ari Aster.
Other casting speculation points to a role for Rachel Weisz, as well as Hellboy and Stranger Things actor David Harbour. We could also see answers to what happened to Hawkeye and Black Widow in Budapest, as well as some scenes taking place after Avengers: Infinity War.
All things considered, we imagine Black Widow will be taking a similar approach to Captain Marvel, flashing back to develop a largely unseen part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie will also give ScarJo a suitable showcase for her talents after being arguably overshadowed by the fate of Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame.
As for when it’ll be with us, Black Widow is thought to be on the slate for a May 2020 release as part of the MCU’s Phase Four. The mysterious “Roger Wardell” also laid out what may be coming in the next Phase and a self-contained story for the heroine certainly seems to fit with Marvel’s plans for less heavily serialized arc.
In any case, we’ll keep you posted on if we hear anything more but tell us, are you looking forward to Nat’s solo movie? Sound off below with your thoughts.