Over the years, whenever there is a new Marvel Studios film or TV project getting released, there’s this fun game where the director explains their inspiration. Typically, this is an attempt to relay what vibe or tone the filmmaker is going for that makes their superhero film seem something different than a superhero film. You know, because just saying, “It’s a Marvel Studios superhero film, you know what you’re going to get,” just doesn’t cut it. And when speaking to Fandango, “Black Widow” filmmaker Cate Shortland kept the tradition alive by naming her somewhat surprising inspirations for the new superhero film.
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According to Shortland, “Black Widow” pulled from some unique films to find inspiration for the new spy-centric superhero film that finds Scarlett Johansson doing her Black Widow thing one more time before retiring the black leather catsuit.
“First, we looked at things like ‘No Country for Old Men,’” explained Shortland. “And then we looked at things like ‘Thelma and Louise.’ And the Marvel film — people that have seen it have said it reminds them of it — ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier.’”
When asked about how it feels most like ‘Winter Soldier,’ Shortland added, “It’s got great action. It’s got a lot of heart, it’s emotional. And at times, it can be a little bit dark, but then it opens up again. And it’s really exciting. So I think that’s like this film. This film has fantastic action sequences, which we’re really proud of.”
As for what Shortland was looking for in other films for inspiration, she explained, “I looked at a lot of combat films and a lot of stuff where we were looking at armies and militia. And then, I put females in those roles. So we weren’t necessarily used to seeing women in those roles. And it was really exciting. And it was exciting too because we had women from all over the world. And we had women who were African, American, French Norwegian, who not only were our stuntwomen but also our widows. Because most widows had an accompany stuntwoman that looks like them. So if we’ve got 15 widows or 20 widows, we’ve got 20 stuntwomen.”
Will “Black Widow” end with Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh sitting in a car and driving off of a cliff? Likely not. (Though, that would be pretty badass for Marvel Studios to do that.) Will the villainous Taskmaster use an air-pressured bolt gun to kill victims? Again, not likely, but would be pretty great. So, if you’re expecting something revolutionary and completely different in “Black Widow,” based on these inspirations, you are likely going to be disappointed when you find it to be just another solid Marvel Studios superhero film. But hey, it’s fun to imagine what the Coen Brothers’ film would have contributed to “Black Widow,” right?
“Black Widow” hits theaters and Disney+ Premier Access on July 9. Here’s a new clip from the film to get you excited.