During a chat on ‘The Town with Matthew Belloni,’ Justin Kroll from Deadline shared that Saoirse Ronan was approached to play the part of Yelena Belova but chose to pass on it. Kroll explained the reason behind the ‘Little Women’ actress’ decision by saying:
“The Saoirse thing, I’ve heard stuff she’s passed on. She passed on Florence’s role in ‘Black Widow,’ the sister. Marvel has not been her cup of tea, and she was not interested.”
While Scarlett Johansson’s solo film for Black Widow introduced Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova to the MCU, the character became a major one, appearing in several other projects and set to be in more like ‘Thunderbolts.’
Yelena Belova Will Be Back For A New Mission
The upcoming film about Marvel’s anti-heroes and villains is currently filming, according to Pugh’s recent words at the SAG Awards. After several changes in the studio’s release schedule, ‘Thunderbolts’ is expected to hit the big screen on May 2, 2025.
Rumor has it that, unlike earlier guesses, president ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross won’t be part of the story. While the squad on a government mission will be named after Yelena’s childhood soccer team, the movie will shift its focus from Sebastian Stan’s long-time character, the Winter Soldier.
The audience might have to say goodbye to some of the MCU’s beloved characters, as the team, also including Red Guardian (David Harbour), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), goes on a suicide mission.
