Original Thunderbolts Script Reportedly Scrapped as it Focused Too Much on ‘Black Widow’ Characters

Original Thunderbolts Script Reportedly Scrapped as it Focused Too Much on ‘Black Widow’ Characters
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Marvel’s Thunderbolts will undergo script revision after getting a new writer, Lee Sung Jin, who also worked on Netflix’s Beef. The original script penned by Eric Pearson saw a legion of characters from the Black Widow franchise. With a new mind on board, the Thunderbolts team is whole again.

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Marvel's Thunderbolts 2
Marvel’s Thunderbolts

Jin will collaborate with Beef director Jake Schreier and actor Steven Yeun, who will also appear in the film. The cast features Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine, Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russell as John Walker, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, David Harbour as Red Guardian, and Harrison Ford as Thaddeus Ross.

RELATED: MCU Theory: Kingpin Rests Control of Thunderbolts from Val, Becomes Their True Villainous Leader

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Marvel Adds New Writer Lee Sung Jin To Revise ‘Thunderbolts’ Script

Speaking with Variety, Lee Sung Jin confirmed the changes in Marvel’s Thunderbolts.

I’m rewriting it. It’s the whole squad again. Jake asked me if I would come on board. I probably should have taken a break, but there’s a lot of themes and exciting things about the movie that I couldn’t help but sign on.”

Marvel's Thunderbolts 1
Marvel’s Thunderbolts

Jin also revealed that the task was a challenge to him. The script is different from his usual style, and he confessed that he accepted the job because he loved working with the same people.

It’s truly an honor to be part of a Marvel thing, but it is very different. One, it’s not my project, it’s Jake’s. It’s such a large scope and scale that the type of writing is very different. At the same time, the process feels the same, I’m still talking to Jake every day. I think once you find the squad of people you love and trust and are so talented, you do everything you can to keep working with them.”

Steven Yeun’s role in Marvel’s Thunderbolts is still undisclosed. The film is expected to commence production in June, and it will serve as the conclusion of Marvel’s Phase Five. The project will be released alongside major MCU titles such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, Captain America: New World Order, and Deadpool 3.

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RELATED: Thunderbolts Movie Reportedly About MCU’s Suicide Squad Hunting a Rogue Super Soldier

What We Know So Far About Marvel’s Thunderbolts

Marvel's Thunderbolts 3
Marvel’s Thunderbolts

It’s easy to compare Marvel’s Thunderbolts with DC’s Suicide Squad. Both teams consist of morally grey characters who possess qualities that aren’t ideally superhero-like. They do differ in their intentions and motives as a group, with the Suicide Squad being forced against their will to do the dirty work, while the Thunderbolts are here to prove they have been reformed for public show. The founder of this team is none other than Baron Helmut Zemo.

In November, Red Guardian actor David Harbour gave an update about the film’s location. He revealed that he would work on the Marvel project simultaneously with Stranger Things Season 5. He told Collider:

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It’s going to have to be a back-and-forth with me. They’re going to have to sort of share me. They both are being shot in Atlanta. That may have also been structured in a certain way, but yes, it is helpful. So, I can just literally shoot a scene in Stranger Things and get in my car and run over to the Marvel scene to shoot a scene there maybe.”

At this point, details about Marvel’s Thunderbolts are still kept under wraps, but the studio has already scheduled it for release on July 26, 2024.

Source: Variety, Collider

RELATED: ‘We are tired of this character already’: Marvel Fans Not Happy With Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Val Appearing in MCU’s Thunderbolts Movie

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Written by Ariane Cruz

Articles Published: 1914

Ariane Cruz, Senior Content Writer. She has been contributing articles for FandomWire since 2021, mostly covering stories about geek pop culture. With a degree in Communication Arts, she has an in-depth knowledge of print and broadcast journalism. Her other works can also be seen on Screen Rant and CBR.