BLACK WIDOW Movie Recruits Director Cate Shortland

For the past few months, Marvel Studios has been looking at directors for its long-awaited Black Widow movie, starring Scarlett Johansson. The studio has been adamant about having a female director for this particular film. Last we heard, Lore filmmaker Cate Shortland was the frontrunner to take the job. Now, it’s happening.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Shortland has signed on to direct Black Widow. The hire comes after over 70 directors were considered. Amma Asante (A United Kingdom) and Maggie Betts (Novitiate) were the finalists, while Melanie Laurent (Galveston) and Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry) came close too. But Scarlett Johansson was a big fan of Shortland, which clearly gave her the advantage.

Black Widow is reportedly a prequel, taking place before the character’s introduction in Iron Man 2. The script was written by Jac Schaeffer. No word on a production or release date yet, but at this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if this is one of Marvel’s 2020 films.

Stay tuned for more as we have it.