Back in 2014, while director James Gunn was on the promotional tour for “Guardians of The Galaxy,” he said that he was interested in making a “Thunderbolts” movie and got the nod from studio head Kevin Feige that it could be on the table if “Guardians” was successful. It’s now 2022, and Marvel is moving forward with that project without Gunn, who might have scratched that itch after making “The Suicide Squad” and the HBO Max series “Peacemaker.”
It was revealed back in June that “Frank & Robot” director Jake Schreier would be helming the film, and while not a lot of details were revealed in the Marvel panel at San Diego Comic-Con today, the film was given a summer 2024 release date, July 26, 2024, to be exact.
READ MORE: Marvel Taps Jake Schreier As Director For Their Secret ‘Thunderbolts’ Movie
The “Thunderbolts” is expected to be a group of rejects backed by the U.S. government or an unrevealed organization (H.A.M.M.E.R.?) that might not be specifically made up of strictly just villains. Like The Suicide Squad, The Thunderbolts are assembled to execute dangerous missions that might not exactly be heroic, or by the books in nature.
The potential lineup of the group could include candidates like Wyatt Russell’s U.S. Agent, Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, Daniel Bruhl’s Zemo, Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster, Tim Roth’s Abomination, Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer, Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Corey Stoll’s Yellowjacket, Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, Emily VanCamp’s Sharon Carter, and possibly a new actor in the role of Thunderbolt Ross/Red Hulk, as actor William Hurt, passed away earlier this year. Though, who knows, perhaps they just recast and create a new government figure to take his place.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that other members in the various comic incarnations featured characters such as Luke Cage, Moonstone, Elektra, Venom, Bullseye, The Wrecking Crew, and Ghost Rider on the roster. Either way, who is on the Thunderbolts team officially is all pure speculation on our part right now. That said, Marvel has a way of putting things in motion where things feel a little obvious, so don’t be surprised if several of the actors mentioned above appear.
There had been a report that filming will begin in summer 2023, which gives “Thunderbolts” ample time to hit its summer 2024 release date. Until then, we’ll just have to wait and see when the script comes together and what characters are included.