Jake Schreier Says Marvel is Telling a 'Different' and 'Personal' Story in Thunderbolts

Marvel's Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier says the film will tell a different and personal story

By Matthew Aguilar

Marvel's Thunderbolts are set to hit the big screen in 2024, and in the director's chair will be Beef director Jake Schreier. Schreier will have a stacked cast at his disposal, as Thunderbolts includes a host of fan-favorite MCU characters like Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), and more. Fresh off his Outstanding Directing Emmy nomination for Beef, ComicBook.com had the chance to speak to Schreier about his hit Netflix series as well as his upcoming Marvel debut. When asked what might carry over from Beef in terms of approach to the Thunderbolts roster, Schreier teased that fans can expect "a pretty different" and "personal" story worthy of such a talented cast. 

"Yeah. I mean, I don't know if there's anything, specifically, from Beef, other than just some of the collaborators, but I think, more than anything, I just feel really grateful to have such an incredible cast. I mean, it's just such an unbelievable group of actors to have to work with, and I think it's a pretty different story that we're trying to tell with them," Schreier said. "And it's about stuff that's personal, and not just, I don't know how to put it, but I mean, what you want to do is you want to give actors like that character work that is a real kind of grit, and is grounded, and that there's material for them to work with that really lets them shine. I don't know, I'm just very excited about getting on set, and getting to work with them on that."

Schreier will be joined by Beef star Steven Yeun in an unrevealed role, and those who have watched Beef know just how fantastic both Yeun and Ali Wong were as the series leads. The whole cast shines throughout the series, but Yeun and Wong have to carry a lot, and they more than deliver.

"Yeah, I mean, they brought so much, I mean, Steven and Sonny have been friends for years, and Ali and Sonny know each other. So even in just the development process, I know that a lot of those characters, sort of the triangle between the character, and Sonny, and either Ali or Steven, who were playing it, that everything was, on some level, personal," Schreier said. "And I think that when you have something like that, and everyone's open to that kind of collaboration, it just makes things so much more specific, and more special, and there's just something so nice about having actors who just refuse to do something false."

"It doesn't mean they're not open, but it means Steven just will not play a false moment. He'll let you know if it's like, 'I can't find my way to this,' and if Steven tells you that, then that does mean that something needs to be adjusted, or that we need to have a talk about how to get the character there, and I just think everything benefits from that kind of being pushed, and being open to that sort of collaboration," Schreier said. "There was so much. I mean, maybe I should just talk more about what great actors they are, which they are, but I think, even beyond that, just their ability to bring so much of themselves to it really pushed the series to a better place."

Thunderbolts stars Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), David Harbour (Red Guardian), Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier), Hannah John-Kamen (Ghost), Olga Kurylenko (Taskmaster), Wyatt Russell (U.S. Agent), Ayo Edebiri, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Valentina Allegra de Fontaine), and Steven Yeun.

Thunderbolts hits theaters on December 20th, 2024. Beef is now streaming on Netflix.

Are you excited for Thunderbolts? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things Marvel with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!

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