Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Black Widow director reveals scene Marvel boss Kevin Feige insisted on including

‘Scarlett and I kept fighting him on it,’ said filmmaker Cate Shortland

Louis Chilton
Sunday 10 October 2021 11:28 BST
Comments
Black Widow: Back (Spot)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Black Widow director Cate Shortland has revealed that Marvel boss Kevin Feige personally fought for the inclusion of one particular scene.

The film, which takes place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), was released earlier this year, and saw Scarlett Johansson reprise the role of Natasha Romanoff, AKA Black Widow.

Speaking to Empire magazine, Shortland discussed the scene in question, which saw Natasha sit down for a reunion dinner with her surrogate family, formed of Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) and Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz).

“[Feige] doesn’t doesn’t give you many directives, he’s very free. But that was a scene he really felt needed to be in the film, and Scarlett and I kept fighting him on it, saying, ‘How will this ever work?’

“But it became a very alive thing,” she continued. “You’ve got this bunch of people shipwrecked together, who are still desperately trying to cling onto the roles that they had in Ohio, because that’s all they know. That’s all they have. And it’s beautiful for me.”

Black Widow received mixed reviews from critics upon its release earlier this year.

In a three-star review for The Independent, Clarisse Loughrey described the film as a “a valiant but chequered attempt to do right by the legacy of Marvel’s first female Avenger”.

The film can be streamed now on Disney Plus.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in