The Big Picture

Thunderbolts*
wrapped filming last week, with Julia Louis-Dreyfus confirming her character will have the most screen time yet.
Marvel’s tight secrecy policies were highlighted by Louis-Dreyfus, who joked about signing NDAs every 3.5 seconds.
The asterisk in the title has a deeper meaning, but Louis-Dreyfus remained coy, following Marvel’s strict privacy procedures.

One of Marvel’s most villainous projects of 2025 just got an exciting new update from its leading star. In an interview with Josh Horowitz for the Happy Sad Confused Podcast, Julia Louis-Dreyfus confirmed that Thunderbolts* wrapped filming last week. Dreyfus, who previously appeared in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and in the post-credit scene of Black Widow, confirmed that Thunderbolts* will feature the most screen time for her character, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, that fans have seen yet. She also talked about Marvel’s rigorous secrecy policies, highlighting that she had to sign several NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreements) and could get in serious trouble for revealing plot details:

“If I say one more thing, somebody from Marvel is going to come out here and shoot me in the head. When you work with these people, you have to sign an NDA every 3.5 seconds. When you go to the bathroom, you’re signing an NDA. So I fear I may have said too much already.”

Horowitz also asked Dreyfus about the asterisk in the title — something Marvel Studios has never done before but CEO Kevin Feige ensures has a deeper meaning — but she simply put the mic down, playing coy and refusing to provide any additional insight. Marvel’s privacy procedures are well documented at this point, most notably with Andrew Garfield having to publicly lie about his appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home for upwards of a year, so while the asterisk almost certainly does play a role in the film, it’s unlikely fans will know what until it releases next year.

What’s Coming Down the Pipe for Marvel Studios?

It’s been a low-volume year for Marvel Studios thus far, opening 2024 with Echo, which received mixed reviews but recorded impressive viewership. Marvel then launched the animated revival X-Men ’97, which was universally beloved by both critics and audiences and is officially the highest-rated Marvel project, registering a 99% score from critics accompanied by a 94% rating from general audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Up next on the slate for Marvel Studios is the Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman-led Deadpool & Wolverine, which will claw its way into theaters on July 26.

The only other Marvel project confirmed to release this year is the WandaVision spin-off show, Agatha All Along, which will debut two episodes on Disney+ on September 18. Also lined up to release alongside Thunderbolts* in 2025 is Captain America: Brave New World, The Fantastic Four, and Blade, which recently received yet another devastating production update.

Thunderbolts* is currently slated to release in theaters on May 2, 2025. Stay tuned to Collier for future updates and get tickets for the next MCU movie, Deadpool & Wolverine, below.

Thunderbolts Release Date May 2, 2025 Director Jake Schreier Studio Marvel Studios

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