‘Black Widow’ Director Cate Shortland Confirms The Film Will Pass The Torch To Florence Pugh

2020 has been disappointing for movie fans in general. However, the Marvel fanbase has suffered the most after years of a constant barrage of content. Fortunately, with the fall rapidly approaching, hope remains alive that the MCU will return to the big screen once more. During a recent conversation with Empire, Cate Shortland, director of the next big Marvel release Black Widow, talked about the film and the lasting legacy she hopes to build with young star Florence Pugh.

The filmmaker reveals what many fans could already guess, that the events of the upcoming film will leave the door open for Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova to earn a larger role in the MCU.

“Kevin Feige realized that the audience would expect an origin story so, of course, we went in the opposite direction,” Shortland explains. “And we didn’t know how great Florence Pugh would be. We knew she would be great, but we didn’t know how great. Scarlett is so gracious, like, ‘Oh, I’m handing her the baton.’ So it’s going to propel another female storyline.”

READ: Avengers of the Caribbean: The Symbiosis of Two Franchise “Finales”

Florence Pugh is a fast-rising star in Hollywood right now. Her roles in Little Women, Fighting With My Family, and Midsommar endeared her to fans in 2019. Moreover, Shortland reveals that the tragic death of the Black Widow character during Avengers: Endgame changed a few things in her film as well. During a conversation with the film’s star Scarlett Johansson, the most fitting way to conclude the decade-long journey was to revisit her past.

“In Endgame, the fans were upset that Natasha did not have a funeral. Whereas Scarlett, when I spoke to her about it, said Natasha wouldn’t have wanted a funeral,” explains Shortland. “She’s too private, and anyway, people don’t really know who she is. So what we did in this film was allow the ending to be the grief the individuals felt, rather than a big public outpouring. I think that’s a fitting ending for her.”

Following the events of Captain America: Civil War, Natasha Romanoff finds herself alone and forced to confront a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past. Additionally, the film will feature the live-action debuts of classic Marvel characters like the Taskmaster and Red Guardian.

Are you excited to see Scarlett Johansson return as Natasha Romanoff? Let us know in the comments below!

Black Widow will release on November 2, 2020.

The film stars Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Rachel Weisz. O-T Fagbenle, Simona Zivkovska, Yolanda Lynes, Jade Ma, and Shaina West will also appear in undisclosed roles.

—–

Did you enjoy this article? If so, consider visiting our YouTube channel, where we discuss the latest and greatest in pop culture news.