Disney and Marvel's long-awaited Black Widow solo movie, currently scheduled for a May 7 release, has had its official runtime released via Disney UK. The film will explore more of Natasha Romanoff's (Scarlett  Johansson) background as she reunites with her the family she left behind in Russia before becoming an Avenger. The movie, directed by Cate Shortland, also stars Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, and David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov, aka The Red Guardian.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe movie was initially scheduled for a May 2020 release before getting delayed multiple times due to the coronavirus pandemic. The current release date of May 7 this year is not set in stone, with reports that Black Widow could be the next major blockbuster to get delayed again. Despite the increasing likelihood of another delay, Disney is hesitant to release the movie on Disney+, the way it has done with Mulan, Soul and Raya and the Last Dragon, with a streaming release considered a "last-ditch" option. However, at this point, anything is possible, and Disney may end up having to compromise to get the movie in front of audiences.

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There is confirmation on one thing, at least, with Disney UK's listing for Black Widow confirming the movie's runtime - 133 minutes. This is the first confirmation of the film's runtime, and it hints that Marvel and Disney are confident of reaching their current May release date. However, what form that release will take is still up in the air, with a Disney+ release a distinct possibility in some form, no matter what the studio might be saying currently.

At two hours, 13 minutes, Black Widow runs longer than the debut solo films of Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Captain Marvel, and Tom Holland's Spider-Man, but is significantly shorter than other recent MCU movies. Avengers: Endgame ran over three hours, while Avengers: Infinity War ran for two-and-a-half hours.

That places Black Widow in the middle, not surprising given the trailer for the film hinted at a complicated backstory needing to be filled out, several new characters being introduced, in addition to some major action set pieces. How all the pieces fit together is unknown at this point, though the inclusion of classic Marvel villain Taskmaster hints at a storyline at least partly taken from the comics. For now, Black Widow fans have just a few more months before the movie releases, and they can find out whether the wait was worth it.

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Source: Disney UK

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