Marvel’s "Thunderbolts" Pauses Production due to Writers Strike

Marvel Studios has paused production on the upcoming “Thunderbolts” movie due to the ongoing writers strike.

The movie, part of Marvel’s Phase Five, was scheduled to begin shooting in Atlanta next month and plans to resume production after the strike is resolved. 

“Thunderbolts” is set to bring together the worlds of “Ant-Man and the Wasp”, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”, “Black Widow”, and the upcoming “Captain America” installment “New World Order”.

“Paper Towns” director Jake Schreier is helming the project, with “Beef” creator Lee Sung Jin penning the script from a first draft by “Black Widow” writer Eric Pearson. 

Marvel is known for frequently rewriting its movies during the production process, making it especially difficult to proceed during a writers strike.

“Thunderbolts” stars Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Wyatt Russell as US Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, and Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster. 

Ayo Edebiri also joined the ensemble in an undisclosed role. Newcomers in undisclosed roles include “The Bear” breakout Ayo Edebiri and “Minari” star Steven Yeun. 

“Thunderbolts” is currently scheduled to be released on July 26, 2024.

Marvel’s “Blade ” also recently delayed production as members of the Writers Guild of America strike after not reaching an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. 

The strike began on May 2 and has caused the shutdown of numerous productions across the entertainment industry. 

The WGA is striking for better streaming residuals and minimum staffing regulations for TV productions, among other demands.