Florence Pugh made her Marvel debut as Yelena Belova in MCU’s Black Widow (2021). While fans loved her character and how she carried it through, she has only ever been seen in the TV series Hawkeye since. Largely missing from the Marvel landscape, Marvel fans have desperately been wanting to see more of her.
However, it hasn’t been her fault or the scheduling conflicts, but the fact that her next Marvel project, i.e. Thunderbolts has been repeatedly facing delays and setbacks. First, the disastrous COVID-19 pandemic caused the delay, and then later the strikes further pushed the film back to 2025. Now as the filming is going to start soon, even Pugh can’t believe the movie is being made, finally.
Florence Pugh Still In Denial That Thunderbolts Is Finally Happening
MCU’s Thunderbolts is a team of former villains and anti-heroes assembled by the government to go on dangerous missions when the other team (The Avengers) isn’t available. Already having an extensive and complicated history in the comic books, with the team-up changing several times, the on-screen adaptation is expected to be fairly simple.
Starring recurring superheroes/ supervillains, it will also feature Yelena Belova, Florence Pugh‘s character. But the actress can hardly believe that the filming is starting soon, for the film has faced several delays already. While talking to Entertainment Tonight, the actress remarked,
“It kind of feels like it might not happen because of the amount of times it has been paused, which is just a natural feeling.”
She also remarked how the cast felt the filming for Thunderbolts would begin after Black Widow production ended, which clearly didn’t happen, further causing anticipation among the cast.
“When we shot Black Widow, we thought we were going to shoot the next movie relatively sooner than we did, and it’s just been this thing that’s been looming, that we’ve been waiting to shoot at some point in the future, and now it’s finally happening.”
Adding that it has finally started to feel a bit real, even fans are excited and geared to see Pugh in her Marvel role again.
Marvel’s Thunderbolts To Begin Shooting Finally
Thunderbolts was originally slated to start filming in the middle of 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia as David Harbour who portrays the Red Guardian had revealed back in 2022 (via Collider). While we know the filming was unable to start because of the twin Hollywood strikes, Pugh’s comments that they were expecting the movie to begin shortly after Black Widow hints that the film has faced several delays that the public is not aware of.
But now, finally, after facing several setbacks, disappointments, and casting changes, Thunderbolts will be filming soon in Atlanta as Pugh remarked in her interview with Entertainment Tonight.
“But I’m going straight after this; when we’re done with press, I’m going to Atlanta and start doing some prep and do a bit more press with you guys, and then I’m off; I’m shooting. It’s wonderful.”
Also starring Sebastian Stan‘s fan-favorite Bucky Barnes and Wyatt Russell‘s U.S. Agents, it is also expected to feature Harrison Ford as U.S. President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross.
As of now, Thunderbolts will be released on July 15, 2025.
