Disney commits to releasing Black Widow in theaters

Natasha Romanoff is still coming to the big screen.

Even as Disney continues to move more of its upcoming films from theaters to Disney+, the studio remains committed to releasing Black Widow in cinemas. The Marvel prequel, centering on Scarlett Johansson's superspy, has been pushed back several times due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, finally landing on a release date of May 7, 2021.

"Fans have been patient, and I can't tell you just how ready we are for this Avenger to finally have her own standalone film," Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said.

Black Widow will be the first Marvel film since 2019's Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home. (Marvel's first Disney+ TV series, WandaVision, will now precede it, debuting on the streaming service in January.) Other Marvel films, like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals, have also been pushed back, making 2020 the first year since 2009 with an MCU movie.

Fans began wondering whether Black Widow might move to Disney+ after the pandemic forced several studios to make their theatrical releases available for at-home streaming. Earlier this year, Disney released Mulan on Disney+ for a premium fee, while rival studio Warner Bros. has vowed to simultaneously drop its 2021 releases both in theaters and HBO Max. (WB's Wonder Woman 1984 will debut later this month on HBO Max.)

Cate Shortland directs Black Widow, which is set before the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame and also stars Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, David Harbour, and O-T Fagbenle.

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