Ray Winstone is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a cast member for Black Widow. After years of requests, Marvel Studios is finally giving Scarlett Johansson a solo movie. She made her debut as Natasha Romanoff in Iron Man 2 and quickly turned the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent into a fan-favorite character. This continued all the way through Avengers: Endgame, which is why her death in that movie hit other heroes and audiences hard. Thankfully, that won't be the end of her story, in a way.
Because of her Avengers: Endgame fate, Black Widow is expected to be a prequel movie for the MCU. The film, which has yet to be officially announced by Marvel, is directed by Cate Shortland. Johansson is the unquestioned star of Black Widow, but Marvel has put a great supporting cast around her that includes Florence Pugh, Rachel Weitz, and David Harbour. Now, they've added another veteran of Hollywood to the cast.
According to Variety, Ray Winstone has joined the cast of Black Widow. With his casting and all other Black Widow details unconfirmed by Marvel, there are no details on who he is playing at this time. Winstone's last few forays into blockbuster movies include the Point Break remake, Darren Aronofsky's Noah, and Snow White and the Huntsman. He also had a prominent role in The Departed in 2006.
Even though this report does not share details on who Winstone will be playing, previously revealed character breakdowns could offer some insight into his role. One role that Marvel was looking to fill was that of a European Caucasian male who was roughly 50-60 years old. The UK born 62-year-old actor is a fit on paper. Unfortunately, that is all of the information that the breakdown provided. The role is expected to be a supporting one, but it could've also changed as a result of the late rewrites done by Ned Benson.
The timing of Winstone's casting should mean that he may not wait long to begin filming if he hasn't already. Production is currently underway, so he could report to set any day now to begin working on Black Widow. At this point, any possible details about his role or the film as a whole will likely not arrive until San Diego Comic-Con, where Marvel Studios is reportedly set to have a panel. This is where they could confirm character details, when the film takes place, and what the plot is. Until then, we could hear about a few other Black Widow casting developments soon.
Source: Variety
