Since Iron Man, Captain America and Thor have all already received movie treatment, and with production on Joss Whedon's upcoming The Avengers film (due to hit theaters next year) already underway and close to completion, it's no wonder people have started asking what the next big Marvel Studios project will be. If you've been paying attention then you already know that both Thor 2 and Iron Man 3 are slated for a 2013 release and that the Captain America sequel is slated for a 2014 release, but what about the other members of the Avengers team?
Whedon's Avengers movie will bring plenty of faces (both old and new) to the forefront including the Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye -- so is there a chance that we may eventually see one of these characters take center stage in their own movie? In the case of actress Scarlett Johansson who plays Black Widow in both Iron Man and the Avengers, it's not something she is ruling out. In a recent interview Johansson revealed that she really loves the character and wouldn't mind exploring her very "interesting past."
"I love playing the Widow. I think she's got a very interesting past, a lot of storylines to explore, and certainly Kevin (Feige) loves that character...I think that Marvel has a very personal relationship with their fans, and I think if the fans want it, and the audience wants it, nothing's impossible. I would love to explore that option as well. Like I said, I love the character and it would be nice to see something nice and gritty."
Johannson, who plays Black Widow in the film, is referred to as Natalie Rushman in Iron Man 2 where she acted as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who was responsible for infiltrating Stark Industries -- a very different incarnation from the character in the comics. If you've read the Avengers comic books then you know that Black Widow is Natasha Romanova, a former KGB and one of the S.H.I.E.L.D.'s very best agents. If Marvel did decide to make a Black Widow film they would definitely have to explain Widow's heritage and lack of accent, although we think there are plenty of spy stories they can tell whilst leaving the fact that she's supposed to be Russian out of it.
== TEASER ==This wouldn't be the first time we have seen news of a possible Black Widow film. In fact, last year when asked whether we would see a Black Widow film, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige replied that it would "definitely [be] possible...Yes, absolutely." Not exactly a definitive answer, but most certainly a positive one. In fact, long before Black Widow made her cinematic debut in Iron Man 2, screenwriter David Hayter (WATCHMEN, X-MEN) was slated to have been working on a Black Widow movie around 2005. When asked about the film that never came to be, Hayter indicated his disappointment in his script never fully being realized.
I had a very solid relationship with Marvel, having worked on a number of films with them, and I was looking for something to write and direct. They brought up Black Widow, and I knew the character very well from the comic book. So I spent about a year working on the script, and I was extremely happy with it. Essentially, the story is a young Russian girl’s parents are killed, so she’s given to the KGB to be developed into a super spy...I felt it was very timely and very cool. Unfortunately, as I was coming up on the final draft, a number of female vigilante movies came out. We had Tomb Raider and Kill Bill, which were the ones that worked, but then we had BloodRayne and Ultraviolet and Aeon Flux. Aeon Flux didn’t open well, and three days after it opened, the studio said, “We don’t think it’s time to do this movie.” I accepted their logic in terms of the saturation of the marketplace, but it was pretty painful.
Although we may never get to see Hayter's vision for Black Widow on the big screen, it is something that Marvel considered not too long ago. While it may not have been the "right time" to make a Black Widow movie then, perhaps enough time has passed that they could give the idea a shot.
If anything, Natasha Romanova certainly has a rich character history. Long before she played with the good guys, she was a member of the KGB and one of their top agents. She has successfully completed missions and been responsible for getting things done. As an Avenger, Black Widow has had plenty of interesting stories (as well as romantic interests) over the years. Over the course of her character history she has proven herself as one of the best spies in the Marvel universe, having infiltrated organizations like Freedom's Light and Norman Osborn's Thunderbolts team during Dark Reign. She's been heavily involved in many of Marvel's biggest story arcs like Secret Invasion and Civil War, and has proven that (when written well) Black Widow can be a really interesting character. She is currently a member of the Secret Avengers and has proven that she can definitely kick some major butt, too.
Do you think Black Widow should get her own movie? What is the ideal Black Widow story to you, personally?
Source: Superherohype
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