Marvel Studios is officially going forward with a Thunderbolts live-action movie with Jake Schreier set to direct the MCU film. Since the end of the Infinity Saga, the MCU is going in multiple new directions with returning heroes and villains, as well as the additions of unused ones from the larger Marvel Universe. With Disney+ as an additional platform, Marvel Studios has been able to flesh out some of the veteran characters while also introducing the next generation of superheroes and villains.

While the MCU has adapted several famous teams into the Avengers-based universe, there is one that many have been speculating for quite some time to make its live-action debut. Over the last few Phases, the MCU has seemingly been setting up the Thunderbolts, which is essentially Marvel's own version of the Suicide Squad. The Thunderbolts focuses on villains that are turning to the grey side, as well as antiheroes within the Marvel Universe.

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After a lot of theories over the last few years, Marvel Studios is embracing the Thunderbolts as Deadline is reporting that a live-action film is in the works. Jake Schreier, whose resume includes Robot & Frank, Beef, and Dave, is set to direct the Thunderbolts movie, with Black Widow screenwriter Eric Pearson penning the script. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is once again attached as executive producer. As of right now, no cast members are attached to Thunderbolts as the project is in the development phases.

MCU Thunderbolts Zemo Taskmaster Batroc

While it will most likely be quite some time before Thunderbolts starts adding cast members, there are several canonical members already in the MCU that they can choose from. Even though Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye is primarily an Avenger, his character was part of the Thunderbolts in the comics. Another popular member is Baron Zemo, as Daniel Brühl reprised the role last year in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. With Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova being the MCU's new Black Widow, that's another Thunderbolts character that the MCU has access to for the film. In addition to them, the MCU has also already introduced members such as Ghost, Punisher, Elektra, Ghost Rider, Luke Cage, as well as a new take on Taskmaster.

Given how many different iterations there have been of the Thunderbolts in the comics, the line-up for the MCU film could consist of all sorts of characters. Since the MCU films have begun to include more Marvel TV characters from the Netflix and ABC shows, Thunderbolts could be a way to bring back some of those players. Whether it be Mike Colter's Luke Cage or Jon Bernthal's Punisher, Thunderbolts would be a fun way to give them new roles within the MCU again. It's also worth noting that since Deadpool 3 will be part of the MCU, Ryan Reynolds' Wade Wilson could easily be part of the team, as he was also part of the team in the comics. Time will tell where Thunderbolts will go, but at least now, the movie is officially one step closer to becoming a reality.

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Source: Deadline

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