Marvel's Thunderbolts Releases New IMAX Trailer
Thunderbolts* is an upcoming American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the 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 from a screenplay by Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo, and stars an ensemble cast featuring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, David Harbour, 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 Sung Jin 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 on location in Utah and Kuala Lumpur.
Thunderbolts* is scheduled to premiere on April 22, 2025, at various screenings, and to be released in the United States on May 2, as the final film of Phase Five of the MCU.
- Cast
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.
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 compared Barnes to Jack Nicholson's character Randle McMurphy in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), saying they were both coming into a chaotic and degenerate group whose members need to be united.
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 Disney+ miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
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 the film Black Widow
Lewis Pullman as Bob / Sentry / Void:
A superpowered individual who suffers from amnesia. As the Void, a version of Sentry completely shrouded in shadows, he is invincible, spreads darkness, and can turn people into shadows.
Geraldine Viswanathan as Mel:
Valentina Allegra de Fontaine's assistant
Early life. Viswanathan's father, Suresh Viswanathan, is a doctor who works in nuclear medicine and is of Indian Tamil descent. Her mother, Anja Raith, is from Switzerland and was raised by a father who was a filmmaker and ballet dancer.
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 Black Widow. He noted that Belova cannot stand Shostakov, but she needs someone to help her feel complete and Shostakov is able to fill that role.
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, Chris Bauer has been cast in an undisclosed role, while Wendell Edward Pierce portrays a political figure. 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)
Theatrical release poster
Directed by -- Jake Schreier
Screenplay by -- Eric Pearson
Joanna Calo
Story by -- Eric Pearson
Based on -- Marvel Comics
Produced by -- Kevin Feige
Starring
Florence Pugh
Sebastian Stan
Wyatt Russell
Olga Kurylenko
Lewis Pullman
Geraldine Viswanathan
David Harbour
Hannah John-Kamen
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Cinematography -- Andrew Droz Palermo
Edited by -- Angela Catanzaro
Harry Yoon
Music by -- Son Lux
Production company -- Marvel Studios
Distributed by -- Walt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures
Release dates -- April 22, 2025 (world premieres)
May 2, 2025 (United States)
Running time -- 126 minutes[1]
Country -- United States
Language -- English
- Production
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 as 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 is 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 said there was "a lot of chatter" around the team's potential introduction to the MCU and added, "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.
- Pre-production
In early September 2022, Justin Kroll of Deadline Hollywood described the film as 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.[36] 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. The next month, Beef creator Lee Sung Jin revealed that he was rewriting the script at Schreier's request and said there were "a lot of themes and exciting things" 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 than the 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, which he also wrote, 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 Sanja Milkovic Hays was the costume designer after working on the MCU films Captain Marvel (2019) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Cinematographer Steve Yedlin was working on the film in Atlanta, Georgia, by the end of May, but eventually left the project and was replaced by Andrew Droz Palermo,better source needed] who worked on the Marvel Studios series Moon Knight (2022).
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. In June, the release date was pushed back to December 20, 2024, and the Utah Film Commission announced that Thunderbolts would film in Emery County and Grand County, Utah, spending over $4.5 million in the state. Executive producer Brian Chapek said the "grounded, globe-trotting film" would use several practical filming locations and the Utah locations were chosen because they felt "untouched by the larger world". When the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike ended in November, the release date was pushed back again, this time to July 25, 2025. Soon after, comic book writer and Yeun's friend Robert Kirkman said 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 then due to a scheduling issue caused by the delayed production, but expressed interest in working on a future MCU film. It was unclear if Marvel would recast or rethink Yeun's role, but at the end of the month Lewis Pullman was revealed to be the studios' top choice to replace Yeun as Sentry, 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 exited due to the delays. In February, the 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 already scheduled reshoots. 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 the film concurrently with his scenes as Jim Hopper for the fifth season of Stranger Things (2025), also in Atlanta; that production was also delayed by the strikes.
Principal photography began by February 26, 2024, at Trilith Studios and Atlanta Metro Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, under the working title Oops All Berries, which is a reference to a variation of the cereal Cap'n Crunch that only has berry-flavored pieces. Andrew Droz Palermo was the cinematographer. The film was shot for IMAX. By March, it had been retitled to Thunderbolts*. Filming occurred in Emery County and Grand County, Utah, from May 29 to June 12, 2024. Louis-Dreyfus completed her scenes by early June, and said Marvel Studios was trying to "go back to their roots" with a focus on the characters' humanity, practical stunt sequences, and avoiding visual effects where possible. Filming also took place at the Medan Pasar square and Merdeka 118 skyscraper in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Pugh was insistent on filming the scene where Belova jumps off the top of Merdeka 118 without the use of stunt doubles. Marvel Studios was initially reluctant to allow Pugh to perform the stunt for insurance reasons, but after continually pushing the matter, including to Feige, she was allowed to perform the jump. Filming concluded 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. The film's final writing credits were set in March 2025: Pearson was credited for the story and received a screenplay credit alongside Calo, while additional off-screen literary material was attributed to Lee.
Harry Yoon and Angela 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 member Ryan Lott previously scored Schreier's film Paper Towns (2015).
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