Marvel's Black Widow Film Eyeing a Late-Winter Shoot in the UK

Screen Rant

By Thomas Bacon

Published Feb 2, 2019

Marvel's Black Widow movie will reportedly begin filming in the U.K. in late February or early March, which could suggest something about the plot.

Marvel's Black Widow movie is reportedly set to begin filming in the U.K. in late February or early March. Officially, Marvel Studios is attempting to keep their plans for anything projects post-Avengers: Endgame under wraps. In reality, it's pretty certain that the 2020 Marvel movies are Black Widow and The Eternals.

Very little is known about Marvel's plans for Black Widow; there are recurring rumors that it could be a prequel, revealing how she came to join S.H.I.E.L.D. in 1998. Unconfirmed reports have suggested Marvel has considered going for an R-rating, which would be appropriate for a teenage assassin whose ledger is dripping with red, but Marvel is still keeping quiet. Still, if the film is to release in May 2020 as expected, it has to start filming fairly soon.

A new report from HN Entertainment claims that Black Widow is due to begin filming in late February or early March. That said, that doesn't necessarily mean the movie is set in the U.K., of course; Marvel has filmed at various U.K. studios in the past, and England has been known to double for New York City on occasion. Ironically, the U.K. has become more attractive for filming in the wake of the Brexit vote, which has led to the value of the pound dropping. The Walt Disney Company, who owns Marvel, has signed up for exclusive access to portions of Pinewood Studios up to 2029.

It's widely believed that this will be an origin story, and if that's the case, it would certainly make sense for parts of it to be set in Europe. The story of Black Widow is intimately tied to the European continent; as a child, she was inducted into the Soviet-era Red Room program and trained as a spy and an assassin. In the MCU, she operated across the world while only a teenager, swiftly earning a reputation for her lethal efficiency - and capturing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention. Hawkeye was sent to bring her in, but instead turned her, and she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. to become one of their top agents. There have been previous reports that some parts of the film could be shot in Croatia, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see it shoot in other European countries as well.

If filming is indeed about to begin, then it means Marvel will soon have to abandon their secrecy over their post-Avengers: Endgame plans. It's only a matter of time before casting details begin to go public, and set photos will undoubtedly shine a light on the plot of Black Widow.