Marvel's 'Black Widow' Movie Director Short List Adds Two More Names

Marvel is currently narrowing the director field for its Scarlett Johansson Black Widow solo movie, and it seems to have arrived at three choices.

Yesterday it was reported that Cate Shortland was in the running to helm the long-awaited Black Widow solo movie, and that hasn't changed. What has changed is two additional names on that very short list. According to Deadline's sources, both Amma Asante and Maggie Betts are also in heavy consideration for the gig, who along with Shortland are the final three out of 49 contenders. All three have reportedly met with Marvel Studios Chief Kevin Feige and Black Widow herself Scarlett Johansson.

We covered Shortland's credentials yesterday, but as for Asante, she is best known for projects like Belle, a story about a mixed-race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral, who is raised by her aristocratic uncle in 18th-century England. Her most recent project is A United Kingdom, and she has two films in production, Where Hands Touch and The Billion Dollar Spy.

Maggie Betts is best known for her 2017 film Novitiate and her 2010 documentary The Carrier. Novitiate is set in the 1960s, specifically during the era of Vatican II. It revolves around a young woman who is learning to be a nun, but she struggles with her faith, the church she is a part of and sexuality as a whole.

Either of these choices would bring something fresh and different to the MCU, and coupled with Shortland this is quite an interesting list for Marvel's super spy.

Black Widow was introduced in Iron Man 2 and has since made appearances in The Avengers, Captain America: Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, and Avengers: Infinity War. She was one of the few left standing by film's end and will reprise her role in the upcoming Avengers 4.

As for Johansson, she would love to see a Black Widow movie eventually happen, and thinks there is plenty to explore.

"I love playing this character, and I think there is definitely an opportunity to explore the Widow as a woman who has kind of come into her own and is making independent and active choices for herself probably for once in her life. You know she hasn't always had that possibility so if it fit that criteria then yes I would want to do it," Johansson said.

Avengers: Infinity War is in theaters now. It will be followed by Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6, 2018, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.