# Thunderbolts*

Thunderbolts* is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics team Thunderbolts. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is intended to be the 36th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is directed by Jake Schreier and written by Eric Pearson, Lee Sung Jin, and Joanna Calo. It stars an ensemble cast featuring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer, Wendell Edward Pierce, Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. In the film, a group of antiheroes are caught in a deadly trap and forced to work together on a dangerous mission.
Marvel Studios began teasing the formation of a Thunderbolts team within the MCU in 2021. The film was revealed to be in development in June 2022, when Schreier and Pearson were attached. The main cast was revealed in September, with additional casting through early 2023. Lee joined to rewrite the script by March 2023, one of several creatives who returned to work with Schreier from the Netflix series Beef (2023–present). Production was delayed due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, causing some cast changes in early 2024. Calo joined by then for further rewrites. Filming took place from February to June 2024 at Trilith Studios and Atlanta Metro Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, and also in Utah and Kuala Lumpur.
Thunderbolts* is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 2, 2025, as the final film of Phase Five of the MCU.

## Premise

A group of antiheroes are caught in a deadly trap by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and are forced into a dangerous mission that could bring them redemption if they unite as a team.

## Cast

* Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova: A member of the Thunderbolts who was trained in the Red Room as a Black Widow assassin. Pugh said the character has been affected by the traumatic events of recent Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) projects, including the death of her adoptive sister Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow in the film Avengers: Endgame (2019).
* Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes: An enhanced super soldier with a cybernetic arm who is the de facto leader of the Thunderbolts. Presumed killed in action during World War II, he reemerged in the present day as a brainwashed assassin before his programming was removed, and has since been elected as a member of the United States Congress. Stan described Barnes's role within the film as akin to that of Jack Nicholson's character Randle McMurphy in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), an individual coming into a chaotic and degenerate group whose members he finds a way to unite.
* David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian: A member of the Thunderbolts who is the Russian super soldier counterpart to Captain America and a father-figure to Belova. Harbour said the film further explores the complex relationship between Shostakov and Belova that was introduced in the film Black Widow (2021). He noted that Belova cannot stand Shostakov, but she needs someone to help her feel complete and Shostakov is able to fill that role.
* Wyatt Russell as John Walker / U.S. Agent: An enhanced super soldier and member of the Thunderbolts. He is a former decorated Captain of the U.S. Army Rangers who was chosen by the U.S. government to become Steve Rogers's successor as Captain America before receiving an other than honorable discharge in the series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021).
* Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster: A member of the Thunderbolts with photographic reflexes that allow her to mimic opponents' fighting styles. She was formerly controlled by her father Dreykov to complete missions for the Red Room before being freed by Romanoff in Black Widow.
* Lewis Pullman as Bob / Sentry: A superpowered individual who suffers from amnesia
* Geraldine Viswanathan as Mel: Valentina Allegra de Fontaine's assistant
* Chris Bauer
* Wendell Edward Pierce as a political figure
* Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr / Ghost: A member of the Thunderbolts who can phase through objects. John-Kamen said the film shows a different side of the character following her introduction in the film Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), with Ghost no longer in a constant state of molecular disequilibrium and able to control her powers with calmness and decisiveness.
* Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine: A contessa and the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), who brings together the members of the Thunderbolts. The film establishes de Fontaine as the one who bought Avengers Tower, now referred to as "Watchtower", from Tony Stark in the film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). Louis-Dreyfus described de Fontaine as someone who is "after power, control, and just generally she wants to kick ass in the Marvel Universe".
Additionally, Laurence Fishburne and Rachel Weisz are expected to reprise their respective MCU roles as Bill Foster and Melina Vostokoff. There are conflicting reports about whether Harrison Ford will reprise his role as Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross from the film Captain America: Brave New World (2025).

## Production
### Development

During the production of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), director James Gunn expressed interest in making a film based on the Marvel Comics team Thunderbolts, a group of "anti-heroes and super-criminals". Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said this was a possibility based on the success of Guardians of the Galaxy. By May 2021, Gunn was no longer interested in the idea after directing the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film The Suicide Squad (2021), because that team from DC Comics is based on a similar concept to the Thunderbolts. In June 2018, Hannah John-Kamen expressed enthusiasm for reprising her role of Ava Starr / Ghost from the MCU film Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) in a potential Thunderbolts film, considering the comics version of Ghost is a member of the team.
Speculation that a Thunderbolts team would be introduced to the MCU began in mid-2019 following the announcement that Daniel Brühl would appear as Helmut Zemo in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), reprising his role from the MCU film Captain America: Civil War (2016). That series introduced Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and shows her recruiting Wyatt Russell's John Walker / U.S. Agent. De Fontaine is also shown to be working with Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova in the post-credits scene of the MCU film Black Widow (2021). Commentators speculated that she was recruiting a team of villains or antiheroes like the Thunderbolts, and some felt that team could appear in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Executive producer Nate Moore said the Thunderbolts were never considered for the project because they would "cloud the story" and take away from other aspects of the series. Head writer Malcolm Spellman felt there was "a lot of chatter" around the team's potential introduction to the MCU and stated, "I don't know if fans are crazy or not".
By June 2022, Jake Schreier was attached to direct Thunderbolts, from a screenplay by Eric Pearson, with Feige producing. Schreier was hired after a presentation that "blew away" Marvel Studios executives. At that time, the studio had been in contact with actors to discuss their availability to reprise their roles for the film. Commentators suggested that the team could consist of characters such as Zemo, Belova, U.S. Agent, Ghost, Taskmaster, Abomination, Bucky Barnes, or Clint Barton, with de Fontaine or Zemo leading the team. Deadline Hollywood also suggested that Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross could be recast for the film following original actor William Hurt's death in March 2022, since that character has strong ties to the team in the comics. The film was officially announced in July at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC), with a release date of July 26, 2024. It was set to be the last film in Phase Five of the MCU. Scarlett Johansson, who portrayed Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow in the MCU from 2010 to 2021, is credited as an executive producer on the film.

### Pre-production

In early September 2022, Justin Kroll of Deadline Hollywood described the film as being a spin-off for Belova because she was expected to lead the antihero team, with Pugh, Russell, and Brühl believed to be reprising their roles. At the D23 Expo the same month, Pugh, Russell, John-Kamen, and Louis-Dreyfus were confirmed to star, alongside Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian, and Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster, all reprising their roles from previous MCU projects. Schreier compared the character dynamics to those in the films Reservoir Dogs (1992), Ronin (1998), and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), which are all about a "mis-matched team forced to work together". He also pointed to a less-likely inspiration in the film Toy Story 3 (2010), saying the Thunderbolts team are all facing obsolescence like the Toy Story characters are in that film. Harbour said the film would be unique in the MCU, describing the main cast as "a bunch of misfits and outcasts and losers and people who don't really live up to the super in superhero". Pugh said the joy of uniting these characters was that they "don't play well together". She was set to be paid eight figures for Thunderbolts and another MCU film.
At the end of September 2022, journalist Jeff Sneider reported that Harrison Ford was Marvel Studios' top choice to replace Hurt as Ross, and Marvel planned to announce his casting at D23 before Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy asked them not to believing it would detract from their promotion of Ford's film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023). In mid-October, Sneider reported that Ford had been cast as Ross and would first appear in the MCU in the film Captain America: Brave New World (2025). The Hollywood Reporter confirmed Ford's casting in Brave New World and Thunderbolts, but Variety reported that Ford's involvement would be limited to Brave New World. Writers for Entertainment Weekly and Esquire interpreted later comments made by Feige as confirmation that Ford would not be appearing in Thunderbolts.
Ayo Edebiri joined the cast in January 2023, when Louis-Dreyfus said filming would begin that June. In February, Steven Yeun was cast in a significant role with the potential to continue in future MCU films. Yeun worked with Schreier on the Netflix series Beef (2023–present), and the director had the actor in mind when adding the character to the film. The next month, Lee Sung Jin revealed that he had joined the film to rewrite the script at Schreier's request; Lee also collaborated with Schreier on Beef, which Lee created. Lee said there were "a lot of themes and exciting things" about the film that drew him to the project. He was working closely with Schreier on the script and noted that, unlike Beef, Thunderbolts was Schreier's project and had different writing needs compared to that series given the film's large scope and scale. Sneider reported that Pearson's script focused too much on the characters returning from Black Widow and Marvel Studios was looking for the other characters to have a more equitable role so it would feel like an ensemble film. Grace Yun was set as production designer by April after doing so on Beef, and cinematographer Steve Yedlin was working on the film in Atlanta, Georgia, by May. Sanja Milkovic Hays was the costume designer after working on the MCU films Captain Marvel (2019) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).
At the start of May, filming was delayed due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike and was planned to resume after the strike concluded. The following month, the Utah Film Commission announced that Thunderbolts was set to film in Emery County and Grand County, Utah, in mid-2023, spending over $4.5 million in the state. Executive producer Brian Chapek said it would be a more grounded film set across the world with several practical locations. In mid-June, the film's release date was pushed back to December 20, 2024. When the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike ended in November 2023, the film's release date was pushed back again, this time to July 25, 2025. At that time, comic book writer Robert Kirkman, a close friend of Yeun's, revealed that Yeun had been cast as Sentry. Russell expressed confidence that the film would be interesting, fun, and not a "straightforward" Marvel film, and said he would begin filming in March or April 2024; in January, Stan said he would begin filming "in a month or so". Yeun exited the film then due to a scheduling issue caused by the delayed production, but expressed interest in working on a future MCU film. It was initially unclear if Marvel would recast or rethink Yeun's role, but Lewis Pullman was revealed to be the studios' top choice to replace Yeun as Sentry by the end of January, and his casting was soon confirmed. Laurence Fishburne and Rachel Weisz were reported to be reprising their MCU roles as Bill Foster and Melina Vostokoff, and Geraldine Viswanathan was cast in the comedic supporting role of de Fontaine's assistant Mel, replacing Edebiri after she left the film due to its delayed schedule. In February, the film's release date was moved forward to May 2, 2025, swapping places with the MCU film The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Joanna Calo was rewriting the script later that month. Previous drafts centered on the titular team going on a mission that could end with their deaths.

### Filming

Filming was originally scheduled to begin in mid-June 2023 and last for six months. It was initially not expected to be impacted by the writers' strike, with Marvel Studios reportedly planning to shoot what they could during principal photography and make any necessary writing adjustments during the film's already scheduled reshoots; however, filming was ultimately delayed by the writers' strike and subsequent SAG-AFTRA strike. The original filming schedule overlapped with Stan's work on the film The Apprentice (2024), for which he gained weight to portray Donald Trump. He had begun the physical transformation needed to portray Barnes when the strikes began and he had to reverse course. Harbour planned to shoot his scenes as Red Guardian concurrently with his scenes as Jim Hopper for the fifth season of Stranger Things (2025), also in Atlanta, before that production was also delayed by the writers' strike.
Principal photography began by February 26, 2024, at Trilith Studios and Atlanta Metro Studios in Atlanta, under the working title Oops All Berries, which is a reference to a variation of the cereal Cap'n Crunch that only featured the berry-flavored pieces. Andrew Droz Palermo serves as cinematographer, after previously working on the Marvel Studios series Moon Knight (2022), with the film being shot for IMAX. By March, the film had been retitled to Thunderbolts*. Filming occurred in Emery County and Grand County, Utah, from May 29 to June 12, 2024. Louis-Dreyfus, who finished filming her scenes by early June, believed Marvel Studios was trying to "go back to their roots" with the film, focusing on the characters' humanity, practical stunt sequences, and avoiding visual effects when possible. Filming also took place at the Medan Pasar and Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and concluded in the week of June 19.

### Post-production

In September 2024, Chris Bauer and Wendell Edward Pierce were revealed to have been cast in the film, with Pierce portraying a political figure. In early December, additional photography took place in Atlanta.
Harry Yoon and Angela M. Catanzaro are editing the film; Yoon previously worked on the MCU film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) and with Schreier on Beef. Jake Morrison is the visual effects supervisor, with visual effects provided by Industrial Light & Magic, Framestore, Digital Domain, Rising Sun Pictures, Raynault VFX, Base FX, Crafty Apes, and Mammal Studios.

## Music

The band Son Lux began recording the score for Thunderbolts* at Abbey Road Studios in London in the first week of February 2025, after previously scoring Schreier's film Paper Towns (2015).

## Marketing

After filming had begun in March 2024, Pugh and Marvel Studios released a set video in which she showcased her new Black Widow costume and an updated logo for the film with Schreier. The new logo styled the title as "Thunderbolts* ". Kristen Lopez at TheWrap felt viewers would "start deconstructing the brief images she's shown immediately", while Sabina Graves of Gizmodo felt the video was delightful and a fun tease for a scene featuring Belova. She highlighted Pugh's short hair and her joking with Schreier that they "really shouldn't be showing any of this". Collider's Chris McPherson also discussed Pugh's costume, calling it "very military [and] quite tactical", and noted her teal eyeliner. Several commentators questioned why there was an asterisk in the updated logo. The next month, Feige confirmed that Thunderbolts* was the official title and said the use of the asterisk would be explained following the film's release, which led to continued speculation as to its meaning. One theory was that the team would not actually be called the Thunderbolts in the film, but rather a variation of the Avengers name such as the Dark Avengers or New Avengers. Another suggestion was that there is another Thunderbolts team in the MCU with characters more closely aligned to the rosters from the comics.
A behind-the-scenes look was shown at CineEurope in June 2024, while the first footage from the film was shown at San Diego Comic-Con the next month, presented by Schreier and the cast. Harbour dressed as Red Guardian for the panel. Following online leaks of the San Diego Comic-Con footage, Marvel released an official look at the Thunderbolts team within their video celebrating the company's 85th anniversary. A teaser trailer for the film was released in September 2024, featuring the song "Where Is My Mind?" by the Pixies. Tom Power at TechRadar said the teaser was a longer and higher quality version of the previously leaked footage, and felt the film was "looking very good". He highlighted the characters' struggles with identity as well as the action and tone of the teaser. Writing for The A.V. Club, Mary Kate Carr noted the various mysteries surrounding the film—including the asterisk in its title—and said the teaser "valiantly" refused to give up any secrets or plot details. A second trailer was shown during Super Bowl LIX in February 2025. Commentators noted that the trailer appeared to confirm speculation that the titular team would be fighting the Void, the malevolent alter-ego of Bob / Sentry. In the trailer, Red Guardian expresses hope that the team's achievements would get them featured on the cover of Wheaties, a cereal known for putting sports figures on its boxes and the slogan "The Breakfast of Champions". Alongside the trailer, Marvel released a poster for the film that mimicked a Wheaties box featuring the team. Their social media posts for the poster were captioned "The Breakfast of Champions Thunderbolts*". An asterisk-themed international poster was also released, which included a footnote for the title asterisk which says "The Avengers Are Not Available". Kieran Fisher at /Film questioned whether this was a joke, or if it was the true meaning behind the asterisk in the film's title. James Whitbrook of Gizmodo and Scott Collura from IGN both believed the footnote fit with the film's marketing approach of presenting the team as a ragtag humorous group of heroes, rather than the asterisk being an "actual serious mystery".
In March 2025, Letterboxd debuted a trailer for the film that is edited in the style of those for independent films produced by A24. It features techno music, an "A24-esque makeover" for the Marvel Studios logo, and title cards which highlight past A24 projects that the film's cast and crew members worked on. Schreier helped conceive the trailer, which was released around the same time Pugh described the film as an "indie, A24-feeling assassin movie with Marvel superheroes". Zosha Millman from Polygon said Marvel had "film buffs in mind" when releasing the trailer through Letterboxd. Despite the creative pedigree touted by the trailer, she thought Thunderbolts* would still be "largely what you expect" of a Marvel film. A24 was not aware of the trailer before its release and responded on X (formerly known as Twitter) with a meme from their HBO drama series Euphoria (2019–present).

## Release

Thunderbolts* is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 2, 2025, in IMAX. It was previously scheduled for July 26, 2024, December 20, 2024, and July 25, 2025. It will be the final film of Phase Five of the MCU.