Posted in: Disney, Marvel Studios, Movies | Tagged: black widow, disney, marvel, movies

"Black Widow": The Filmmakers Really Wanted to "Get Under Her Skin"

Published Wed, 18 Mar 2020 07:15:38 -0500

Yesterday, we got word that Disney decided to delay the release of Black Widow due to the coronavirus. Anyone who has been following the Hollywood centric news about the virus more or less knew that this was coming. It just didn't seem like everything would be back to normal in less than six weeks so Disney and Marvel delayed the film. However, stories in magazines have been set to run weeks in advance so we're in this weird area where a movie with no release date has new interviews in Empire. Director Cate Shortland talked about her intentions with the film and what she wanted to accomplish telling Natasha's story.

"The timing was really liberating," Shortland says. "I wanted to give her justice. It gave us this feeling like, 'I've got one chance and I really want people to understand her and to feel empathy for her,' because often what you see is a very fetishised construct. We wanted to get under her skin."

Star Scarlett Johansson talked about letting go of a role that she's been playing on and off for over ten years. Unless Marvel is planning on doing more prequels or bringing Natasha back to life this is the last time we're going to see her and the last time Johansson will play her.

"I don't really have the perspective on it yet," she says. "I think it will take some time for it to sink in. It's been such a constant in my life for a decade of time. Every 18 months, coming back to this family and continuing the journey with everyone… I think we all probably have mixed feelings about it, at least in specific scenes, but I really had a sense of accomplishment [after shooting finished on Black Widow]. I feel like I tried it all this time around. I really got to go to all those uncomfortable places and explore certain recesses of her."

It's going to take some time for Disney to schedule a new release date for Black Widow but they aren't going to let it just sit on a shelf and gather dust. With a budget north of $150 million, they can't afford to. So we'll likely see a new release date announced once theaters start reopening.

Black Widow, directed by Cate Shortland, stars Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, O. T. Fagbenle, Rachel Weisz, and Ray Winstone. It currently doesn't have a release date.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!