`[Kevin Feige] realized that the audience would expect an origin story so, of course, we went in the opposite direction,` Shortland said. `And we didn't know how great Florence Pugh would be. We knew she would be great, but we didn't know how great. Scarlett is so gracious, like, 'Oh, I'm handing her the baton.' So it's going to propel another female storyline.`
Pugh's career has been skyrocketing since breaking out in the 2016 drama `Lady Macbeth.` The actress earned her first Oscar nominations earlier this year thanks to her performance opposite Saoirse Ronan in Greta Gerwig's `Little Women,` and she wrote herself into the horror genre history books last year with her acclaimed performance in Ari Aster's `Midsommar.` `Black Widow` marks Pugh's Hollywood tentpole debut and Shortland's comment suggests it's just the beginning for the actress, as a larger role in the MCU is already being planned.
Disney was originally set to open `Black Widow` in theaters nationwide May 1, but the release date was pushed due to the pandemic. `Black Widow` is now set to open November 6.
