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Black Widow 2021
Action thrillerSpy thrillerSuperhero
Black Widow is a 2021 American superhero film centered on Marvel Comics. The movie was produced by Marvel Studios and released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, making it the 24th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by Cate Shortland, the screenplay was written by Eric Pearson, and Scarlett Johansson portrays Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow. Supporting cast includes Florence Pugh, David Harbour, O-T Fagbenle, Olga Kurylenko, William Hurt, Ray Winstone, and Rachel Weisz. The story unfolds during events from Captain America: Civil War (2016), showing Romanoff evading capture while reflecting on her history as a Russian spy.
Lionsgate Films initiated development of the Black Widow film in April 2004 with David Hayter attached to write and direct. However, that plan did not proceed, and the rights returned to Marvel Studios by June 2006. Johansson had played the character in multiple MCU films beginning with Iron Man 2 (2010), eventually discussing a standalone film with Marvel. Work commenced in late 2017, with Shortland hired in July 2018. Contributions to the script came from Jac Schaeffer and Ned Benson before Pearson joined. The film was structured as a prequel to expand Romanoff’s background and conclude her MCU journey following her death in Avengers: Endgame (2019). Shortland emphasized intense action sequences, calling it the most violent MCU film up to that point. Principal photography occurred from May to October 2019 across Norway, England, Budapest, Morocco, and Macon, Georgia.
The film held premiere events globally on June 29, 2021 and launched in the United States on July 9, available both in theaters and through Disney+ with Premier Access. It marked the first movie of Phase Four in the MCU, originally scheduled for release in May 2020 but postponed three times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Black Widow shattered several box office records during the pandemic and earned over $379 million worldwide. Critics responded favorably, especially praising its action scenes and the acting by Johansson and Pugh. In July 2021, Johansson sued Disney concerning the simultaneous release, which was resolved within two months.
Cast
- Scarlett Johansson[[Natasha Romanoff
- Florence Pugh[[Yelena Belova
- David Harbour[[Alexei Shostakov
- O-T Fagbenle[[Rick Mason
- Olga Kurylenko
- William Hurt[[Thaddeus Ross
- Ray Winstone
- Rachel Weisz[[Melina Vostokoff
Crew
- Director
- Cate Shortland
- Screenplay
- Eric Pearson
- Story
- Jac Schaeffer, Ned Benson
- Producer
- Kevin Feige
- Cinematography
- Gabriel Beristain
- Editing
- Leigh Folsom Boyd, Matthew Schmidt
- Music
- Lorne Balfe
Details
- Production
- Marvel Studios
- Distributor
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- Budget
- $288.5 million
- Box office
- $379.8 million
