Disney is said to have had talks about bringing back the original gang for the fifth installment of the superhero team-up movie, including resurrecting Iron Man and Black Widow.
- Nov 2, 2023
AceShowbiz - Amid the lessening interest in superhero movies, Marvel may be going back to its roots. Rumor has it that Disney is considering bringing back the original cast of "The Avengers" for a new movie.
In an article that discusses Disney's recent struggles with Marvel's movies, Variety reports that Marvel has recently had talks about bringing back the original cast for a fifth installment of the superhero team-up movie. This would mean reviving Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, both of whom were killed off in "Avengers: Endgame".
The site notes that "the studio hasn't yet committed to the idea." In addition, bringing back those actors wouldn't be cheap as sources claim that Downey Jr.'s upfront salary for "Iron Man 3" was around $25 million.
The article also reveals Disney's alleged back-up plans for Jonathan Majors, who is currently embroiled in legal issue following a domestic dispute in March. The studio reportedly considers recasting the actor in the role of Kang.
Another plan is to pivot to another comic book villain Dr. Doom. But that won't be easy as the second season of "Loki" sets up Kang as the titular star of a fifth "Avengers" film titled "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" in 2026.
"Marvel is truly f**ked with the whole Kang angle," says one top dealmaker who has seen the season 2 finale of "Loki". "And they haven't had an opportunity to rewrite until very recently [because of the WGA strike]. But I don't see a path to how they move forward with him."
In a move not related MCU, Disney and Searchlight recently removed Majors' new film "Magazine Dreams" from calendar. The movie was initially due to open in theaters in December 2023.
The film premiered at Sundance in January and at the time received boost as an award season vehicle for Majors, who plays an aspiring body builder. However, with his trial for assault, strangulation and harassment charges being set for November 29, the studios seemingly want to wait for the outcome before putting their faith on the movie.
The next Marvel film to hit theaters is "The Marvels", which will open in U.S. theaters on November 10. But after lengthy reshoots and the lack of actors' participation in promoting the film due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, it's predicted that the movie will disappoint at the box office.
