Black Widow Has Been Finished and Unchanged For Over a Year
The COVID-19 pandemic took a massive toll on the countries economy, but specifically the theater industry. Frozen in place, the film world stood still. Marvel experienced this firsthand, as their highly anticipated Black Widow had stayed finished and unchanged for over a year.
The only reconciliation to come from mass shutdowns due to the pandemic came in the form of the streaming services.
Production companies and studios resorted to streaming their films and violating the cinema experience for audiences longing for the escape found in the world of film.
Disney benefitted greatly from the early success of Disney+; with films like Onward, Soul, Mulan, and others releasing exclusively for early access on the Disney streaming service.
Films also took a backseat to the world of long-form storytelling. Episodic, ten-hour, productions became the beneficiation of a country ordered to stay indoors.
One thing is for certain; the pandemic was the ultimate outlier. Its presence shattered the plans of studios across the globe.
Enter Marvel Studios.
A company that defines itself by its intricate and detailed planning. whos immense film schedule require, not single dates, but phases of releases for their film slates.
The pandemic proved that Marvel had the unique capability to adjust. Despite their incredible schedule, despite their planning to the smaller title; Marvel has shown that they can adapt.
This is perhaps not more evident than in the delay of one of the companies premiere titles; Black Widow.
The highly anticipated film follows the story of Natasha Romanoff. One of the original six Avengers, Romanoff’s Black Widow has been one of the companies most consistently exceptional characters.
Her stories have evolved immensely over her decade-long tenure in the MCU and were to culminate in the story of her return to her roots; confronting the Black Widow program that made her one of the world’s most feared warriors at a terrible cost.
The film was directed by Cate Shortland. the Australian director of films like Lore, Somersault, and Berlin Syndrome, was now tasked with the immense challenge of the continued exploring of a character with over ten years of film presence; yet making it, unlike anything that has come before.
Her interview with Empire, during their summer preview issue, was insightful for the director’s comments regarding Johannssons’ Romanoff, and some of the characters debuting in the film. While also noting that Marvel’s Black Widow remained finished and unchanged for over a year.
The interview gave fans another interesting note about the film, with Empire printing, “the film has been fully finished- and untouched- for a year now, just waiting to be unleashed to audiences.”
What is perhaps most interesting about this fact is that the ever-moving entertainment studio was able to recalibrate their highly planned film slate to leave the film in waiting for an inevitable release.
Marvel waited out the pandemic. They trusted their other titles. They entrusted the unproved Wandavision series.’ They trusted The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. They believed in characters who have yet to carry the weight of tier own stories.
And after, after all the wait, Black Widow is almost here! ready to be unleashed on the audience ready to welcome it.