Marvel Studios Nova Movie Reportedly Beginning Production in 2023

Nova is headed to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a new report claiming a film based on the last survivor of Xandar’s destruction is going to begin production in 2023. The same report from Geeks WorldWide also claims other projects, including the Fantastic Four movie, a Thunderbolts film, and a Disney+ series spinning out of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever which follows Danai Gurira’s Okoye will also begin production in the same year. Nova has not been officially announced by Marvel Studios or Disney just yet. If the report is accurate, the film would likely arrive in 2024 or 2025.

Nova, real name Richard Rider, was first slated to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Guardians of the Galaxy but he never made it past an early draft of the script for James Gunn’s film. In 2018, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige offered the most promising update in regards to Xandar’s last Centurion. “Nova is… if we have a big board with a bunch of characters that have more immediate potential, Nova is on that board,” Feige told Comicbook.com. “Because of the connection to the Guardians universe, because there are more than one examples to pull from in the comics that are interesting. And you’re absolutely right, he was in the earliest drafts of the [Guardians of the Galaxy].”

Later, Nova was going to make an entrance in the opening scenes of Avengers: Infinity War. “We actually had, I remember in the big manifesto thing that we did, where the first work we did on these movies where we just… every possible storyline that you could take from what’s around, that Nova has the Xandarian Worldmind,” Avengers: Infinity War co-writer Christopher Markus told ComicBook.com in 2019. “Yeah, the Xandarian Worldmind, was that after… it was almost going… In this conception, he would be the herald, not unlike the Hulk, who was actually standing in for the Silver Surfer, but that one member of the Nova Corps survived Thanos’ attack. The Xandarian Worldmind would be the voice of Glenn Close, because you had her and why not? And that he would be Richard Rider and he would come to earth.”

Nova’ origin story has been put in place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as in comics he inherits the Xandarian Worldmind and total power of the Nova Corps after their homeworld of Xandar is destroyed. In the opening moments of Avengers: Infinity War, it is revealed that Thanos destroyed Xandar to get the Power Stone after it was left the in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Nova has since been mentioned by filmmakers and fans several times, including a fakeout by Avengers: Endgame co-director Joe Russo, who temporarily had fans thinking the hero had been added to the final battle against Thanos.

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