“We’ve already started discussions with Scarlett [Johansson] about the idea of a solo movie and have begun putting together concepts, but ‘The Avengers’ comes first.” Marvel chief Kevin Feige said in 2010 about a solo Black Widow movie, the spy character that in “Iron Man 2” and “The Avengers.” In 2011 he added, “There’s no definitive plans, but we have started talking and talking with Scarlett Johansson about what a Widow movie could be.”
While some are taking more recent comments as gospel, or the idea that a movie is coming, all Feige has said is that there have been some development thoughts and talks. “We start filming the next ‘Avengers’ film at the end of March,” Feige said in the latest issue of Total Film. “[Black] Widow’s part in that is very big. We learn more about her past and learn more about where she came from and how she became in that film. The notion of exploring that even further in her own film would be great, and we have some development work with that.”
Note that he said, “would be great.” Not is 100% happening. Development work probably doesn’t even mean a script exists yet. So settle down everyone (remember that talk of a Hawkeye solo movie? Yeah, that was from the same era and hasn’t gone anywhere either).
That said, if you want to know more about the character and where she’s headed. “Black Widow’s whole arc [in ‘The Winter Soldier’] is coming to terms with her history—that she’s been a spy, and spies aren’t necessarily trustworthy,” Chris Evans told Total Film about her role in the ‘Captain America‘ sequel.
“We wanted to change the dynamic of the cinematic universe with this film,” Feige said of the upcoming film. “We wanted Cap and really the entire cinematic universe to be very different at the end of ‘Winter Solider’ than it is at the beginning. Therefore when we meet the Avengers at the top of ‘Age of Ultron,’ it’s a very different landscape than we left them at the end of the film. Partially that’s because we love the rhythm that the comic books have developed – each of the characters appear in their runs, occasionally they get together for a big event or crossover series, they part again, and then they come back together again.”
Meanwhile, rumors of confirmation of the Phase 3 Marvel films has purportedly arrived from the site SchmoesKnows. The site claims Marvel’s Phase 3 plans include “Ant-Man,” “Captain America 3,” “Thor 3,” “The Avengers 3” and “Dr. Strange.” If that’s the case, none of that would entirely be revelatory, all those films are in development and Edgar Wright’s “Ant-Man” arrives summer 2015, but confirmation of the in-development “Dr. Strange” is something fans would surely like to see. It might be interesting to consider “The Avenger 3” if only for contracts. Many of the regular “Avengers” actors contracts will be up by then; most certainly Robert Downey Jr.’s will be. So it’ll be time for many of these actors to either re-up those contracts or move on. From the sounds of it, RDJ will be moving on—he’s simply too expensive for Marvel’s taste and nearing 50 years old, and all the actor’s recent interview suggest he wants to get back to some regular, non-tentpole acting.
What we really should watch, and what should be interesting, is to see how many of new Avengers are in ‘Age of Ultron,’—Quicksilver played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the Scarlett Witch as performed by Elizabeth Olsen, Vision played by Paul Bettany—will be groomed for larger roles in ‘Avengers 3’ once some of the original team inevitably move on (there are rumors of Ms. Marvel, a Black Panther tease, in the movie as well, and Anthony Mackie wants in too). “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” comes out on April 4th, and “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” hits theaters May 1, 2015.
