Production on Marvel’s upcoming “Thunderbolts” movie has been suspended due to the ongoing writers’ strike. Variety has confirmed.
The film was set to shoot in Atlanta next month and plans to resume production after the strike is resolved. Thunderbolts, part of Marvel’s Phase Five, brings the worlds of “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Black Widow,” and the upcoming “Captain America” episode “New World Order.” Paper Towns” director Jake Schreier is helming the film, while “Beef” creator Lee Sung Jin is scripting a first draft from “Black Widow” writer Eric Pearson. Marvel is known for regularly rewriting its films during the production process, making it particularly difficult to continue during a writer’s strike.
The “Thunderbolts” cast includes Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, all reprising their Marvel characters. Newcomers in undisclosed roles include Ayo Edebiri, a breakout from “The Bear”, and Steven Yeun, star from “Minari”. The film is currently scheduled to release on July 26, 2024.
Marvel’s “Blade,” which follows “Thunderbolts” in Phase Five, also recently delayed production as members of the Writers Guild of America went on strike after failing to reach an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The strike began on May 2 and has resulted in the closure of numerous productions in the entertainment industry. The WGA is notable for, among other things, better streaming residual flows and minimal personnel regulations for TV productions.
Deadline Hollywood was the first to report the news.