Okay, so the Endgame has ended. What's next for the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Marvel is doing something they've never done before which is keep their upcoming slate under lock and key for the most part. For a while it was easy to understand why. Avengers: Endgame is the finale to 11 years and 22 movies' worth of stories, and for most of that we've known each stop on the road to getting there. But now everything is wide open. A new story must begin, and so they don't want us to know too much until it's time. I get it.
There are still some things we do already know. With the exception of one wallcrawler's upcoming movie Marvel hasn't officially green lit ANYTHING, but the cast and crew have begun taking shape for some exciting projects that will lay the course for whatever the next Endgame-level movie will be. I've gathered together what little we know about the films that are definitely happening, officially announced or not, and will update this post as new information becomes available.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Director: Jon Watts
Writers: Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers
Cast: Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Marisa Tomei, Ned Batalon, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Zendaya, JB Smoove, Jon Favreau
Release Date: July 5th 2019
The first post-Endgame movie has been described as an "epilogue" and it's not exactly clear what that means. Will there still be elements from the big Avengers finale leftover to contend with? That seems a good bet since Endgame Spoiler Warnings are attached to Far from Home's latest trailer. What we know about the story is that Peter Parker and his friends, now reunited, go on a European vacation where they encounter the villain Mysterio, who may not be so bad. With the guidance of SHIELD's Nick Fury, Spidey and Mysterio take on evil Elemental beings bent on destroying the planet. I'm curious to see what Spidey's connection to the Avengers is at this point. The team has been decimated soon after he was made an official member. Will he helped bring the team back up from the ashes? Maybe this isn't the movie for that.
Black Widow
Director: Cate Shortland
Writers: Jac Schaeffer and Ned Benson
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz (??)
Release Date: N/A
A Black Widow movie has been the talk of fans for years while Marvel's Kevin Feige politely paid lip service to the idea. But after DC's success with Wonder Woman they really couldn't hold it back any longer. Johansson was involved in the hiring of Shortland as the movie's director, and recently it was Benson hired to rewrite Schaeffer's screenplay, which is said to be a prequel exploring her life as a spy and assassin prior to the events of Endgame. The casting on this is already strong but if they can secure Weisz's Oscar-winning skills it'll go to a different level. Very interested in seeing what the audience appeal for a Black Widow prequel is right now. Something tells me it won't be very high, and I can't forget how badly a different prequel, Solo: A Star Wars Story, performed only a year ago. Production is expected to kick off this summer.
The Eternals
Director: Chloe Zhao
Writers: Matthew and Ryan Firpop
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, Ma Dong-seok, Richard Madden
Release Date: N/A
Marvel is really taking a deep dive on the cosmic side with The Eternals, which is based on one of the many weird ideas from comics legend Jack Kirby. It centers on a race of superhuman near-immortal beings who are offshoots of the evolutionary process that created humanity. Told you it was weird. This is high-concept stuff that won't be like when Marvel took a gamble on Guardians of the Galaxy. So they hired an acclaimed director in Zhao (The Rider), and gave the film as much star power as possible with the casting of Jolie. There have also been rumors this will be the movie where Marvel introduces its first openly gay lead character, but we shall see about that. I feel like this movie may have an uphill battle ahead of it already, and Disney may balk at anything else that may alienate a portion of the audience.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Director/Writer: James Gunn
Cast: Presumably Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Karen Gillan
Release Date: N/A
If James Gunn had never been fired by Disney following the exposure of some controversial tweets, we'd know a lot more about Marvel's favorite bunch of a-holes. It happened and not even the Time Stone can undo it. Gunn signed on to direct DC's Suicide Squad sequel, and while Disney ultimately reversed course they have to wait until he's finished with that before he can return to Marvel work. The Guardians emerge from Endgame in the most interesting spot, with a new team member/leader(?) in Thor, and a second Gamora possibly out there somewhere. I can see this third, potentially final, movie in the franchise being all about Quill's search for his lost love. Hopefully we start to learn more soon. A 2020 release date has been bumped but it's looking as if 2021 is still in the cards.
Shang-Chi
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Writer: Dave Callaham
Cast: N/A
Release Date: N/A
Marvel already has a Master of the Mystic Arts, now they need a Master of Kung Fu. The representation train keeps chugging along as Shang-Chi will be Marvel's first film with an Asian lead character and a mostly Asian cast. Shang-Chi first appeared in 1972 after Marvel's failed attempts to adapt the Kung Fu television series. They created Shang-Chi as an original character, an unstoppable hand-to-hand combatant, and very clearly modeled visually on Bruce Lee. Good luck casting this one! My money is on Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding.
Doctor Strange 2
Director: Scott Derrickson
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch
Release Date: N/A
We don't know much about a Doctor Strange sequel yet, but we do know it's happening. Late last year Scott Derrickson signed on to return as director, with the search for a writer to begin later. The first movie wasn't a huge hit back in 2016, but the good Doctor's profile has definitely increased after his major part to play in Infinity War and Endgame. Expect him to be a big player in the next phase.
Black Panther 2
Director: Ryan Coogler
Cast: Chadwick Boseman
Release Date: N/A
Of course, we're going back to Wakanda. Of course, Chadwick Boseman is returning as T'Challa. Of course, Ryan Coogler is directing and working on the script, although I think there was some concern he'd be too busy. Marvel created a cultural phenomenon with Black Panther last year and replicating that kind of success will be tough, but similar to Doctor Strange this is a movie that will only see a boost from his importance to the MCU as a whole.
There are other films we expect to see that have yet to take any formal steps forward, such as Captain Marvel 2 and a third Ant-Man. Once again, this post will be updated once the MCU's future becomes clearer.
