Marvel’s “Thunderbolts” hasn’t exactly had the easiest transition from comic book to screen.
The film has been teased since 2021 with the release of “Black Widow” and introduction of characters Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), all of whom are featured in various iterations of the “Thunderbolts” comics. Further hints were made in the Disney+ series “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.” However, with Marvel fare like “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “The Marvels” underperforming at the box office and last year’s strike delaying production on both “Thunderbolts” and “Captain America: Brave New World,” there have been a few hiccups.
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Now, a first look teaser at the star-studded film is finally revealed.
“Thunderbolts” was initially slated to release around this time in 2023 when Phase 5 of the MCU was announced at Comic-Con in 2022. It was also supposed to conclude this phase of the MCU, which was to include “Blade” and TV series like “Agatha All Along” (at that point titled “Agatha: Coven of Chaos”) and “Daredevil: Born Again.” While the current status of production on “Blade” is unknown, Marvel has finally started teasing these new shows, which are set to be released this fall and early 2025.
Steven Yeun (“Beef”) and Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”) initially both signed on to appear in the film, but were replaced by Lewis Pullman (“Lessons in Chemistry”) and Geraldine Viswanathan (“Drive-Away Dolls”), respectively, due to scheduling conflicts that came about.
“Thunderbolts” is supposed to take on a “Dirty Dozen”-like quality, as it revolves around a group of villains sent on missions by the government. Basically Marvel’s version of DC’s “The Suicide Squad.”
The official synopsis reads: “‘Thunderbolts’ is about an irreverent team-up featuring depressed assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) alongside the MCU’s least anticipated band of misfits. The film also returns to the screen Marvel Cinematic Universe characters Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), in addition to some exciting new faces.”
Jake Schreier directs “Thunderbolts” with Kevin Feige producing.
Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek, Jason Tamez, and former MCU staple Scarlett Johansson serve as executive producers.
The film was scripted by Eric Pearson (“Thor: Ragnarok,” “Black Widow”), Lee Sung Jin (“Beef”), and Joanna Calo (“The Bear”).
Marvel’s “Thunderbolts” is set to be released May 2, 2025. Watch the teaser below.
