BLACK WIDOW Movie Enlists THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY Scribe Ned Benson To Rewrite The Script
While Marvel Studios has been extremely tightlipped about their Black Widow standalone, there have been small leaks here and there and now, a new report has revealed that the film just got a new writer.
Collider reported late last night that Ned Benson (The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby) has been tapped to rewrite the script for Marvel's Black Widow standalone movie, which will star 4x Golden Globe-nominee Scarlett Johansson (Avengers: Endgame) in the title role as Natasha Romanoff.
Cate Shortland (Lore) is helming the still-unannounced feature with a script that was previously submitted by Jac Schaeffer (The Hustle; The Vision and Scarlet Witch). Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige will produce.
According to Collider's ever-reliable Jeff Sneider, Marvel executives were quite impressed with Benson's work on The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, especially on the Jessica Chastain-led Her portion of the film, and felt he was the best person for the job as they prepare to tell the never before told origin story of one of the original members of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Also, while he was unable to obtain confirmation, Sneider believes Johansson may have been equally impressed with Benson's work and brought him to Black Widow after reading his script for My Aryan Princess, an in-development film adaptation of the seven-part Dallas Morning News article from 2017 that told the story of a woman who risked her life to bring down the Aryan Brotherhood in Texas. The project was initially being developed as a starring vehicle for Johansson, so it does seem possible she may have come across his script at some point in the development cycle.
Black Widow, which is believed to be set prior to the events of The Avengers, doesn't have a release date just yet, but Marvel Studios has already staked out release dates for May 1, 2020 and November 6, 2020, so expect the long-awaited standalone to debut on one of those dates.