New Marvel Movie Will Shoot In Australia, But What Will It Be?
WithAvengers: Endgameright around the corner, we’re getting closer to learning exactly what Marvel Studios has planned for the future. But asKevin Feigepreviously said, any solid plans for the future of theMarvel Cinematic Universewon’t be officially announceduntil afterSpider-Man: Far From Homehits theaters in July. However, we at least know where one of Marvel’s future movies will be shooting.
Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox included taking ownership of Fox Studios Australia in Sydney, and the federal government has agreed to provide Disney with a $171.1 million subsidy for Marvel Studios to shoot a film there. But what is the next Marvel movie shooting in Australia?
Varietyhas the news on Marvel shooting a movie in Australia, and since details on the subsidy coming from the federal government have been worked out, that likely means it’s a movie shooting this year. There are several possibilities as to what movie it might be, and we’ll break them down below.
Black Widow
This is one of the more likely possibilities since the filmalready has a directorinBerlin SyndromefilmmakerCate Shortland. On top of that, the film’s star has already been cast withScarlett Johanssonreprising the role she’s played since being introduced inIron Man 2. Plus,Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, andDavid Harbourhave all been signed up to star in the film as well. With a director and a solid cast on board, this movie is ready to shoot sometime this year, and Australia could be where it’s happening.
The Eternals
Another project that has a director on board is this totally new franchise,The Eternals. Continuing the expansion of the cosmic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the film will be directed byChloé Zhao(The Rider). Plus, the movieis said to be bringingAngelina Jolieinto the MCU, andKumail Nanjianiwill be coming with her. However, it doesn’t seem like there’s a complete cast for this movie yet, so it might be a bit further off thanBlack Widow. Then again, Marvel could know exactly who will lead the movie, but no one in the press has found out yet. It could go either way.
Another hopeful franchise starter for Marvelis in the hands of directorDestin David Cretton(Short Term 12), and that’sShang-Chi. This will be Marvel’s first movie with an Asian protagonist, and a lot of people see this as being the nextBlack Pantherfor the comic book studio. Variety’s article notes that the Australian Media is speculating that this will be the movie that Marvel shoots down under, but that could easily be a guess on their part. This one is further behind though since we haven’t heard anything about the casting for this movie. Plus,Dave Callahamis still working on the script, so this one doesn’t seem as likely. But it’s not impossible either.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Even less likely is the possibility of shootingGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3in Australia.James Gunnstill has to shootThe Suicide Squadthis year, and that’s not supposed to happen until September, which means the sequel that recently rehired him won’t be shooting until next year. Of course, there’s always a chance that this subsidy from Australia is meant for a movie shooting next year, so we can’t rule it out completely. Plus, this movie already has most of the cast squared away since it’s a sequel, and the script is already done. Only some new characters and the crew would need to be recruited, and then it’s good to go.
Doctor Strange 2
RecentlyDeadlinesaid that they heard rumblings thatDoctor Strange 2might be gearing up to start production this year with an eye towards releasing in 2020. They mentioned this nonchalantly in an article about Disney’s presentation at CinemaCon last week alongsideBlack Widowas the other movie likely planned for release in 2020. Since we haven’t heard anything on theDoctor Strangefront, we’re not sure how accurate that is.
Black Panther 2
With$1.34 billion earnedat the worldwide box office, we can guarantee there’s aBlack Panthersequel in the works. However, since the character perished in the snap at the end ofAvengers: Infinity War, his future remains uncertain. But since this was Marvel’s first black superhero taking the lead in the MCU, they’re not going to sideline him so easily. However, it’s not likely that the movie will be ready for production so quickly, so we might have to wait a little while longer for this one.
There have been no discussions about what will happen with the Thor franchise, mostly because we don’t know what will happen with the character afterAvengers: Endgame. Since the movie has been said to shake up the core roster of The Avengers who have been there since Phase 1, there’s a chance Thor might be taking a break. ButThor: Ragnarokshook up the god of thunder’s franchise and paved the way for an exciting new direction the character could take, traversing the galaxy and going on adventures. The only thing feeding into this possibility is the fact thatThor: Ragnarokshot almost entirely in Australia, so there you go.
Perhaps there’s a chance that any credits scenes that followAvengers: Endgamewill provide some kind of insight into what the immediate future holds for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We’re certainly curious and excited to see what they have planned for the next era of comic book movies featuring all these characters and more.
