Marvel Has Reportedly Met With Over 65 Directors For Black Widow

Marvel Studios is being very thorough in selecting a director for Black Widow, having met with dozens of filmmakers for the job. Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff was first introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2010’s Iron Man 2. She went on to team up with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in The Avengers. Then she became one of Steve Rogers’ closest allies in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, returning to the fight in Avengers: Age of Ultron. More recently, she’s fought against and alongside her fellow heroes in Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, respectively.

While Black Widow will return for Avengers 4 next spring, that won’t be her last appearance in the MCU. Earlier this year, it was revealed Marvel Studios is developing a Black Widow solo movie. With Jac Schaeffer set to write the script, Marvel Studios has since turned their focus on finding the right director for the job. Now, according to a new report, the studio has scoured Hollywood to fill the position, making sure no stone is left unturned.

Related: Black Widow May Be a Prequel With Winter Soldier

As reported by Variety’s Justin Kroll on Twitter, Marvel has met with over 65 directors about Black Widow, though he doesn’t offer a timeframe for when an official annoucement will be made. Nor does he provide any additional insight into who may be on that list. However, we do know some filmmakers who have met with Marvel. Previously, it was reported Marvel is meeting with female directors for Black Widow, with the list including Deniz Gamze Erguven (Kings), Chloe Zhao (The Rider), Amma Asante (A United Kingdom) Maggie Betts (Novitiate), and Angela Robinson (Professor Marston and the Wonder Women).

As of now, it’s unclear who exactly is on Marvel’s short list for directors, or if all 65 filmmakers the studio met with were women. Hollywood has made an increased effort in recent years to hire more female directors for blockbuster fare. This comes as a result of calls from movie fans for more diversity behind the cameras, not just in directing roles but other creative positions.

For their part, Marvel has been keen to hire women for their female character-focused projects. The studio tapped female screenwriters for Captain Marvel, as well as the directing duo of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Marvel followed suit for Black Widow by recruiting Schaeffer and looking for a female director. Of course, whether Marvel Studios does eventually tap a female director for Black Widow remains to be seen, though it does seem likely.

Additionally, it’s unclear how soon fans can expect a director announcement. The solo movie doesn’t have an official release date, so it’s difficult to predict when the studio will need to make this decision. Given how thorough Marvel is being, it may be some time before we learn who will direct Black Widow. Or, since we’ve received so many reports about the process lately, perhaps Marvel is close to reaching their decision. For now, we’ll have to wait for an official announcement. But fans of Black Widow can check her out in action in Avengers: Infinity War and the upcoming Avengers 4.

Next: How Avengers 4 Can Use Black Widow Properly