Marvel Studios had already made quite a statement at the D23 Expo with a slew of exciting announcements about their upcoming Disney+ slate, but they just had to take things one step further at the Walt Disney Studios panel on Saturday (August 24). Turning their attention instead to their theatrical releases, president Kevin Feige offered major news about three of their upcoming titles: Black Panther II, The Eternals, and of course, Black Widow.
First, Ryan Coogler, the man who turned Black Panther into an Oscar-nominated film, took the stage to talk its upcoming sequel — but before you get too amped, know that there is still a lot we don’t know about this film. As Coogler and Feige so politely pointed out, we don’t even know the movie’s name yet, though we know it won’t be called Black Panther II. They also declined to announce who the villain will be, although did confirm they have a treatment for the movie, which means all of the story details are nearly worked out. Finally, Coogler and Feige settled on the one thing they can reveal: the release date. Black Panther II — or whatever it will actually be called — will hit theaters May 6, 2022. Mark your calendars.
Next, Feige jumped over to the brand new property primed to become a cornerstone of Phase 4, The Eternals. You’ll recall that this movie already boasted a stellar cast, starring Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Don Lee, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, and Lia McHugh. At D23, Feige announced three additions to the heavy-hitting lineup. Gemma Chan will play human-loving Sersi, Barry Keoghan will play loner Druig, and Kit Harington will play Dane Whitman, a non-Eternal. Of course, the casting news means that Harington and Madden will be reunited on the big screen for another epic adventure years after their time together on Game of Thrones came to an end.
The Eternals cast also revealed their character concept art, showing off their heroic looks for the very first time. Check it out below.
Saving the biggest drop for last, Feige ended on Black Widow. No one from the cast could join him (they’re filming in London), so he debuted some unreleased footage instead. (OK, that’s almost as good as getting Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, and David Harbour in the flesh.)
The preview built upon what fans at San Diego Comic-Con got to see, starting with the prologue that encouraged Natasha to revisit her past, then moving to Budapest where we saw the first major fight scene between her and her sister Yelena (Pugh) in an apartment. Then came some flashes of new footage, including glimpses of Rachel Weisz’s Melina and Harbour’s Alexei donning his red and black Red Guardian mask. The preview then returned to the bridge fight first shown at SDCC, but this time gave a bit more of the scene with the villain thought to be Taskmaster. Finally, the clip ended with some of that classic MCU humor we all love: Natasha and Yelena were shopping in a gas station mart when Yelena innocently asked why her sister always crouches down and poses when she’s fighting. “You’re a total poser!” she jokes.
