Marvel movies getting re-writes is part of the process, especially with numerous changes to writing teams and the direction of various projects after their initial pitch. Thunderbolts seems to be no different, with new reports suggesting that that ensemble movie is currently being given an overhaul by Lee Sung Jin to make it more “well-rounded” and not mostly centered on the characters first introduced in Black Widow.

When the line-up for Thunderbolts was originally announced last year, there were many characters from Black Widow making their MCU return as part of the dubiously intentioned team. This included Taskmaster, Red Guardian and Yelena Belova, who will be joined by Bucky Barnes, Ghost and more, but now it seems that the original script by Black Widow scribe Eric Pearson is being changed to allow other character to shine. Insider Jeff Sneider told The Hot Mic:

“I heard that they scrapped the other guys draft. One of the problems with that Thunderbolts draft was that it had a similar problem to what Suicide Squad had, the David Ayer one, in that it was too focused on the Black Widow characters who are going to be in Thunderbolts and it wasn’t an equal enough for the team. It just very much emphasized the characters we already knew.”

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New Thunderbolts Writer Previously Confirmed That Re-Writes Would Be Happening
Marvel Studios

Earlier this year, Lee Sung Jin was brought into the Thunderbolts project to work with director Jake Schreier on the refining of the movie. While it is not surprising that Pearson had included a lot of focus on the characters he developed in Black Widow, it seems that Lee’s appointment has rung in the changes. He previously said:

“I’m rewriting it. It’s the whole squad again. Jake asked me if I would come on board. I probably should have taken a break, but there’s a lot of themes and exciting things about the movie that I couldn’t help but sign on. It’s truly an honor to be part of a Marvel thing, but it is very different. One, it’s not my project, it’s Jake’s. It’s such a large scope and scale that the type of writing is very different. At the same time, the process feels the same, I’m still talking to Jake every day. … I think once you find the squad of people you love and trust and are so talented, you do everything you can to keep working with them.”

Thunderbolts is currently set to be released in cinemas on July 26, 2024 and a number of stars have confirmed that filming is set to begin in June this year. Whether the film will make its timeframe is something that is up for debate, as many Marvel movies have suffered delays due to the heavy amount of VFX work needed in post production. While Thunderbolts is expected to me a more grounded movie than the likes of Multiverse of Madness or Thor: Love and Thunder, there will still be plenty of work to be done to polish the final movie before its release.