Marvel's first MCU movie of 2020 will land in theaters on May 1, but we have no idea what it will be. And we're not going to find out until all of the Phase 3 movies have finally hit theaters, including Spider-Man: Far from Home. Many believed and speculated that Marvel would be dropping its Phase 4 slate after everyone got a chance to see Avengers: Endgame. But that's not how it will work. Out promoting Captain Marvel, MCU boss Kevin Feige had this to say.
"The game plan is to not reveal the game plan until after Endgame and Far From Home... And wanting the focus to be on, of course, Captain Marvel, Endgame, Far From Home, and really what will be a 23-movie journey, and there'll be plenty of time to talk about what comes after that."
It's always been the belief that Spider-Man: Far From Home is the first movie in the Phase 4 line-up, but it's sounding more and more like it will be the epilogue to Phase 3. Marvel did this same thing with Ant-Man. It was supposed to be the first Phase 3 movie, but Marvel changed its mind, and turned that Scott Lang adventure into the Epilogue movie of Phase 2 instead.
Though no official titles have been announced for Marvel Phase 4, we know some of what is being planned. Black Widow is finally getting a standalone movie, with Scarlett Johansson taking home a pretty hefty paycheck for her hard work. It was confirmed today by Kevin Feige that the espionage spy thriller will still be PG-13, not R-rated as some had rumored not long ago.
Black Widow was rumored to start shooting this month, but that hasn't happened yet, with just a few days left to go until March. Cate Shortland is believed to be directing the movie, though that hasn't officially been announced by Marvel Studios. Just this past week, it was reported that the screenplay needed an overhaul, and that famed script doctor Ned Benson had been hand picked by Johansson to fix the problem. If shooting does begin sometime this spring, that would definitely give it enough time to wrap for a May 1, 2020 release date.
Related: Latest Avengers 4 Theory Has Black Widow Making the Ultimate Sacrifice
Also pretty much confirmed is Doctor Strange 2. Original director Scott Derrickson is confirmed to come back, though no formal announcement has been made yet. Also returning is co-writer Writer C. Robert Cargill. At least that's the standing rumor for now. It sounds like Black Widow is further along in development. Also pretty much confirmed is Black Panther 2. Original director Ryan Coogler is said to return, but we've heard zero since then aside from a rumor that Michael B. Jordan may get resurrected as Killmonger.
Of these three standalone movies, only Black Widow survived the Decimation seen at the end of Infinity War. It's pretty much been confirmed that Doctor Strange will live to see another day, as he has some pretty important Quantum Realm scenes in Avengers: Endgame. Also on the roster is an Eternals movie. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was most likely going to be the movie released on May 1, 2020. But after James Gunn got fired, that sequel was thrown in disarray and is still sitting in development Hell where it will remain until someone at Marvel figures out what they want to do with it.
If we had to take an educated guess, it would be that Black Widow is the May 1, 2020 movie. But Marvel could surprise everyone with an out of left field announcement that no one sees coming. And that almost sounds a little more their speed. This news comes from Cinemablend.
