(Via @gabrielmalor.) Nice hunk of change, that: “Scarlett Johansson, who has appeared in six movies as Black Widow, is finally landing a $15 million payday for an upcoming stand-alone film centered on the Marvel superheroine, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.” This is Thor and Captain America-level cash; it also makes a good deal of sense, because I’m pretty sure that every person who reads this who also goes to movies in the theater will be planning to watch Black Widow acrobatically beat up a remarkable number of bad guys.
They’re also bringing back Ryan Coogler for Black Panther 2: “…Coogler’s camp shook off the peer pressure and took its time in making a deal, which occurred under the radar some time ago. Sources say the plan at this stage is for Coogler to write the script next year with an eye to start production in either late 2019 or early 2020.” To paraphrase somebody or other, the negotiations probably involved just how many dump trucks full of money Coogler would be getting. ScarJo, Ryan, bubbelehs: your rule of thumb here should be all that the traffic will bear. Make ’em make it rain.
The challenge for a Black Widow standalone film at this point will be creating stakes high enough to hold the audiences interest. I haven’t seen Infinity War yet, but I’m guessing she’s in there, fighting Thanos. Whoever the antagonist will be in the Black Widow movie will almost certainly be somewhat less potent.
As far as Black Panther goes, I’m probably in the minority when I say it wasn’t my favorite Marvel movie. The reason is not Black Panther himself, but Wakanda. It’s dumb. Even for a superhero movie that forces me to suspend disbelief, Wakanda is really, really dumb. There is no way in any universe that a country like Wakanda could produce so much as a book of matches, let alone a hovering battle-wing. But lest I tread too close to the line, I will say that hopefully the next Black Panther movie will not take place in that stupid fantasy-land Utopia, but instead take place somewhere else. Like Rio de Janiero, or New Orleans. Pretty much anywhere else, really.
Without spoiling, suffice to say she’s in Infinity War but not a main player to the plot.
There’s a bunch of YouTube videos about how stupid Wakanda’s economy is, probably worth a watch. I’m a Marvel fan so I grew up with its universe’s absurdity… YMMV