THUNDERBOLTS* Director Addresses False Assumptions About The Story; New Still Released

THUNDERBOLTS* Director Addresses False Assumptions About The Story; New Still Released

In a new interview, Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier addresses some false synopses he's seen, while also confirming that Yelena Belova will be the main focus...

By MarkCassidy - Nov 21, 2024 02:11 PM EST
Filed Under: Thunderbolts

Based on what we know about the team in the comics, fans had made a lot of assumptions about Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* when the movie was first announced, and the teasers we've seen seemed to confirm at least some of the theories were on the level.

However, director Jake Schreier has now indicated that there's a lot more to this film than meets the eye, and that even the basic premise might not be completely accurate.

"I've seen a lot of synopses out there that just say, as though it's a fact, that it's a team assembled by Valentina to go do bad things," the filmmaker tells Empire in their latest issue. "I understand why that would be the assumption, but that is not the story."

Schreier also confirmed that Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) will be the main focus (which was really kind of obvious from the trailer, anyway).

"She's front and center. Yelena is in a certain place at the beginning of the film, and how she finds her way out of that place, and who she finds herself out of that place with, is at the heart of the story."

“It’s exciting to think of movies like Ronin or Reservoir Dogs, where you have a group of people that has no reason to trust each other," he added. "Could they even learn to work together? What sort of conflicts would arise?”

Check out a new still featuring Yelena being embarrassed by Red Guardian (David Harbour) below.

We're still not sure what the addition of that asterisk to the title signifies, but a recent rumor claimed to shed a little more light on the mystery. It could be considered a spoiler, so click here if you want to know more.

Marvel Studios and a crew of indie veterans who sold out present Thunderbolts*, 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 Scarlett Johansson serve as executive producers. Marvel Studios’

Thunderbolts* opens in U.S. theaters on May 2, 2025.

THUNDERBOLTS*: New Details About Taskmaster, U.S. Agent, And More Revealed - SPOILERS
Related:

THUNDERBOLTS*: New Details About Taskmaster, U.S. Agent, And More Revealed - SPOILERS

THUNDERBOLTS* Reshoots Reportedly Scheduled For December; Untitled MCU Movie To Shoot Next Fall In The UK
Recommended For You:

THUNDERBOLTS* Reshoots Reportedly Scheduled For December; Untitled MCU Movie To Shoot Next Fall In The UK

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

MisterBones
MisterBones - 11/21/2024, 2:54 PM
Gotta respect the Ronin mention. So underappreciated. One of the greatest action flicks EVER
User Comment Image
Itwasme
Itwasme - 11/21/2024, 2:58 PM
@MisterBones - 100%
JayLemle
JayLemle - 11/21/2024, 3:01 PM
@MisterBones - YUP! There are some EXCELLENT 90's movies that still play well today. Like Ronin and Reservoir Dogs (mentioned above).
narrow290
narrow290 - 11/21/2024, 4:09 PM
@MisterBones - Man at 1st I thought he meant 47 Ronin which is underrated imo
TyrantBossMedia
TyrantBossMedia - 11/21/2024, 2:54 PM
This movie is basically straight to streaming. It is going to be a bust because nobody cares about these characters.

Ghost doesn't matter and was never properly developed
Red Guardian and Yelena were in a movie that was terrible and bombed.

The only one we really care about is Bucky and he has been passed over and relegated to a supporting role to yet another Girl Boss (Yelena) who apparently is in charge.

Yeah that makes sense. Pass over the guy who has decades of military training, combat experience, espionage, subterfuge and assassin training, and I a super soldier..........for Yelena.
UncleHarm1
UncleHarm1 - 11/21/2024, 3:48 PM
@TyrantBossMedia - So good to have you back...

🙄
SonOfAGif
SonOfAGif - 11/21/2024, 3:51 PM
@UncleHarm1 - Notice how almost nobody replies to him anymore.
Gabimaru
Gabimaru - 11/21/2024, 7:51 PM
@TyrantBossMedia - The trailer remind me of die hard 5 or something.
TyrantBossMedia
TyrantBossMedia - 11/21/2024, 7:58 PM
@SonOfAGif - My self worth is not determined by people replying to me. Perhaps yours is, and I'm sorry to hear that.
UncleHarm1
UncleHarm1 - 11/21/2024, 10:41 PM
@SonOfAGif - There wasn't a lot of that going on before lol
JayLemle
JayLemle - 11/21/2024, 2:56 PM
I don't expect this project to do decent numbers or have much support. If anything, it might be a fun watch to pass time. Perhaps, putting Bucky front-and-center in a leadership role. The actor has been in the MCU since 2011. He deserves some love.

I'd just like to know what the asterisk is for though, LOL. I'll probably wait for VOD
AnthonyVonGeek
AnthonyVonGeek - 11/21/2024, 2:57 PM
The Thunderbolts in the comics was a fun idea having villains pose as new heroes but this feels like a wannabe Suicide Squad. I’m still hoping for a fun movie though.
ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 11/21/2024, 3:06 PM
I'm thinking they'll be given the title "The New Avengers" after saving the world from The Void.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 11/21/2024, 5:26 PM
@ModHaterSLADE - I'm going for Dark Avengers. Red Guardian is the only one that seems to appreciate the Thunderbolts name, but I could see him come up with Dark Avengers as alternative
ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 11/21/2024, 5:41 PM
@bkmeijer1 - I guess that could work with maybe U.S. Soldier serving as a dark reflection of Cap since we don't have Osborn as Iron Patriot here.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 11/22/2024, 3:11 AM
@ModHaterSLADE - I'm still hoping we do get Norman Osborn as Patriot leading the team. Could also add Hercules and Abomination as Thor and Hulk mirrors
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 11/22/2024, 7:36 AM
@bkmeijer1 - Unlikely whilst Sony still owns the righs to Osborn, a deal COULD be done but doubt the costs and complications would be considered worth it for Disney to use Norman outside of Spider-man films (or the big crossovers Spider-man is in anyways).
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 11/22/2024, 8:46 AM
@Apophis71 - yeah, that's why I doubt it'll actually happen. Could see them reach a deal though. Maybe Sony is allowed to move its characters to the MCU after Secret Wars?
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 11/22/2024, 8:59 AM
@bkmeijer1 - Anything is possible but would kinda hope it was a wider deal that involved rebooting to some extent the SPUMC characters. I wouldn't object to some of the same actors like Tom Hardy but use the variant route where it is the Earth prime version that ends up with the fragment left behind if bringing across Venom.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 11/22/2024, 9:46 AM
@Apophis71 - I don't mind seeing some of the SPUMC characters in an MCU Spider-Man movie.

I think there is potential in a movie featuring Eddie, Morbius and Kraven if it's inspired by the Spider-Man games.
MarvelZombie616
MarvelZombie616 - 11/21/2024, 3:13 PM
The name of the movie will actually be:
The new shit!
CreateNowSlpL8r
CreateNowSlpL8r - 11/21/2024, 3:18 PM
This was always Black Widow 2 which was never going to fly so they morphed it into this. I still think this has bomb written all over it. No one knows these characters, not many people saw Black Widow.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 11/21/2024, 5:29 PM
@CreateNowSlpL8r - I don't mind it being a sequel to Black Widow (or FATWS), but this movie is definitely a Phase too late. Atleast then more people would've remembered the characters
CreateNowSlpL8r
CreateNowSlpL8r - 11/21/2024, 7:18 PM
@bkmeijer1 - Right. I watched BW, Hawkeye, FAWS and Antman (Ghost), and I'm not really interested in this. I'd watch it on D+ but it's likely not getting me to the theater. Its not offensive in anyway, I just don't think it has legs. Maybe they show up in Avengers but I'm not invested in anyone other than Bucky who they seem intent on keeping as a background character.

I like Florence too but I'm not interested in Yelena. We already had a Black Widow and I'm not really interested in her existential crisis, need for purpose, or unresolved daddy issues.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 11/22/2024, 3:16 AM
@CreateNowSlpL8r - the characters don't really interest me that much individually either, but them together is enough to get me looking forward to this. Really hope this movie is gonna be more than the sum of its parts
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 11/21/2024, 3:20 PM
Interesting though the theories I have read are moreso Valentina assembling them to do good things through morally questionable means but it seems like she isn’t involved in their inception at all…

Perhaps she is the one that set up Yelena , Ghost ,Taskmaster & Us Agent and the rest of the movie is them trying to find out who that was which leads them to her?.

Anyway , the rest sounds intriguing so looking forward to it!!.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 11/21/2024, 5:28 PM
@TheVisionary25 - and what I read was they were assembled by an unknown force instead. But yeah, only after they all meet they figure it out.

What I'm most intrigued about is how Val is connected to Sentry and what this alk leads to in the third act.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 11/21/2024, 5:53 PM
@bkmeijer1 - yeah

If she is the one that sets them up according to Yelena’s theory to basically eliminate them then why send them after “Bob”?.

Unless Val felt the remaining one would retrieve him and then she would kill that person to tie up loose ends.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 11/22/2024, 3:13 AM
@TheVisionary25 - I could see that be the case. Maybe when they actually survive getting Bob, she sees the value in them and recruits them officially.
LSHF
LSHF - 11/21/2024, 4:57 PM
What is up with the extreme lack of color? It's practically a black and white film.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 11/21/2024, 5:51 PM
@LSHF - seems like it’s just a stylistic choice to have a more muted color palette like TWS or even AOU to an extent.
LSHF
LSHF - 11/21/2024, 7:08 PM
@TheVisionary25 - Thank you.

I hate it. It's like removing most of the flavors from food. It's selfish of whomever made this decision, as I'm willing to bet most viewers would rather see natural colors.

I'll watch this, but it won't be that enjoyable to see.
BraveNewClunge
BraveNewClunge - 11/21/2024, 5:00 PM
I like Florence but yelena is such a boring character imo.

I'm more interested in US agent & taskmasters arcs.
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 11/22/2024, 7:41 AM
@BraveNewClunge - Differing tastes and all that but former soviet spy with top notch fighting skills, esp if female, I always find WAY more interesting (and more appealing to look at for that matter when femme fatales) than American Soldier on super steroids or braniac in tech armor but the world would be boring if we all like the same stuff.
BraveNewClunge
BraveNewClunge - 11/22/2024, 8:12 AM
@Apophis71 - very true, its just we already had a black widow with a similar attitude 😅

But you're right, it would be boring if we all liked the same stuff.
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 11/22/2024, 9:07 AM
@BraveNewClunge - I get that but TBH found Yelena to be more fun than Nat was at first, again however I do get why any wouldn't want more of the same/similar or even prefer return of the original.

I tend to look at it more through the lens of using a similar character and taking them down a differing path keeps things more fresh, even if you then later have the original return. If it lands flat doing so that only adds to the desire and hype for the return of the original whilst having tested out what doesn't work and inject new ideas that do thus minimising odds a character gets stale and dated.
RolandD
RolandD - 11/21/2024, 7:50 PM
A lot of people complained about this movie being a bunch of super soldiers getting together, and their power sets being too similar. I’ve always been intrigued by the mix of the characters as the director suggested above, it will be seeing how they are able to work together and how they clash
ptick
ptick - 11/21/2024, 8:00 PM
Lots of meh-to-hate comments here but to me the trailer looks ways better than Cap4. I'm actually really looking forward to this - moreso than FFFS right now, but we haven't seen a real trailer for that yet. T* is my second-most anticipated MCU project for 2025 after DDBA.
DanFlashesShirt
DanFlashesShirt - 11/21/2024, 8:01 PM
I still think they should have culminated phase 4 with this in place of the usual avengers movie, but i am SO HYPED for this!

Stacked cast + the Bear / Beef guy directing

Can’t wait
TMW1987ProudProWrestlingFan
TMW1987ProudProWrestlingFan - 11/22/2024, 8:10 AM
Still think this will be a sleeper hit with the GA.

If the GA eats this up, likes the character dynamics/interactions & they give it good word of mouth, then it should have legs. If idiots can enjoy 3 horrific Venom movies then hopefully they should be able to enjoy this equally or more.

Plus the Bucky & Yelena stans will be out in droves.

600 - 800 mill tops if all these factors hit, but I guess that still won't count as a success because EVERY MCU or CBM in general should make a billion right?


I think all 3 MCU movies for 2025 look good to great & could be the comeback year that the MCU needs. Not the end of the world though if it isn't because you're all gonna show up for Spider-Man 4, Doomsday, Secret Wars & the X-Men movies anyways.

Please log in to post comments.

Don't have an account?
Please Register.

View Recorder