There is an extensive background article about this about problems and solutions to problems at Marvel. The central message behind it is clear. Kevin Feige’s team has recognized that not everything they’ve published has performed well lately. But you don’t want to give up, you want to come back with great new content. The forced pause used by the 2023 Hollywood strikes could be a windfall in the fight against possible superhero fatigue among the public and rekindling a desire for more Marvel fare.
Only one MCU film, “Deadpool & Wolverine,” will hit theaters in 2024. Things will also remain relatively quiet in the series sector. After ‘Echo’, which came out in January, ‘Agatha: Darkhold Diaries’ is probably the only other series coming to Disney+ later this year – and they seem very happy about it. The reports that of the five days of reshoots already planned at the beginning of each production, only one had to be used because they were so happy with the result. But of course the MCU has to convince, especially in theaters.
“Thunderbolts” – a completely new MCU chapter in theaters?
There are several projects here that receive special attention. Of course, ‘The Fantastic Four’ comes first here. After recently announcing the cast featuring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn, filming is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2024. To do this, Marvel veteran Eric Pearson (“Black Widow,” “ Thor: Day of Decision”), who has worked for the company for more than a decade, revised the script again so that everything really fits.
But first there is another project that plays a special role in the MCU and for which they have even received external help. The oft-delayed “Thunderbolts,” directed by Jake Schreier (“Beef”), is expected to begin filming in March. Includes Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier, David Harbor as Red Guardian, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Wyatt Russell as US Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster and the new Geraldine Viswanathan (“Cat Person”) and Lewis Pullman (“Top Gun 2”), who joined the MCU, are then seen on camera.
“Thunderbolts” is supposed to be a very dark movie, because the focus here is not on the good guys. Instead, villains and anti-heroes must come together and embark on a dangerous mission that could even result in the deaths of countless characters (greetings from DC’s “The Suicide Squad”).
This should be really good Joanna Calo to guarantee. The critically acclaimed showrunner of ‘The Bear’, perhaps the best and most intense series out there today, has reworked the script. It’s probably not a last-minute change either. She probably started working in the background a long time ago.
“Thunderbolts” will hit theaters in late April/early May 2025, followed by “The Fantastic Four” in July 2025., after both start dates were recently swapped. Together, the films will also transition from Phase 5 to Phase 6 of the MCU. It is hoped that this will result in a return to its former size. ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ plays a major role in this. Ryan Reynolds’ first appearance in the MCU will be released in German cinemas on July 24, 2024.