Marvel’s Thunderbolts* Has the Most Unexpected Connection to Jeremy Allen White’s ‘The Bear’ and That’s a Huge Green Flag
- 'Thunderbolts*' boasts a unique writing team, including the writers of 'The Bear' and 'Beef'.
- The success of 'The Bear' and 'Beef' increases expectations and promises a character-driven film.
- Sebastian Stan revealed that multiple rewrites improved the script of 'Thunderbolts*'.
Superhero movies are not all about fancy action scenes and big actors for powerful comic book characters. Fundamentally, what these films require is good scripts that would connect different characters, stories, and scenes that would touch the audience’s heart beyond the computer-generated graphics.
Marvel’s upcoming Thunderbolts* is expected to have a different tone than MCU’s previous superhero team-up movies, as it will show antiheroes working for the government. There has been anticipation not only regarding this idea and the cast but also some unique creative decisions behind the scenes.
The Bear and Beef‘s Creative Forces Join Thunderbolts*
Thunderbolts* has a strong team on both sides of the camera. Jake Schreier has directed the cast, which includes Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the plot of the film will focus on “villains and antiheroes going on a mission that was supposed to end with their deaths.” Apart from an interesting plot, the writing team has attracted a lot of attention lately.
According to Film Updates (via Empire magazine), Schreier revealed that Joanna Calo, the co-creator of The Bear, and Lee Sung Jin, the showrunner of Beef, have been a part of Thunderbolts* writing team.
This will increase fans’ expectations from Thunderbolts*, as both Beef and The Bear have been much-acclaimed series. Beef has been rated 98% and 87% by critics and the audience on Rotten Tomatoes. The show has been loved for its entertaining chaos.
The Bear, on the other hand, has a near-perfect 99% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes for its second season. The Jeremy Allen White starrer series has been loved for its performances, tension, and production values.
In an earlier interview with Variety, Jin talked about Thunderbolts*,
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.
The involvement of these writers, both of whom have worked on character-driven narratives and drama, indicates that Thunderbolts* may be something more than a typical superhero film.
Sebastian Stan Reveals Benefits of Script Changes for Thunderbolts*
Getting to the final script of Thunderbolts* hadn’t been easy. During his appearance on Happy Sad Confused podcast, Sebastian Stan acknowledged that there were multiple rewrites in the course of filming, but he believes that it was good for the film. He said,
There were a couple reiterations from what I’ve heard. There was a script that we had before the strike and the one we ended up with. And I do feel like we ended up in a better spot. 100%.
The movie’s writing changes have been particularly interesting, starting with Thor: Ragnarok’s Eric Pearson, then getting Lee Sung Jin in March 2023 alongside Joanna Calo in February 2024. It may sound somewhat off track, but Stan states that these changes are something that has made the movie special.
Stan also praised director Schreier for his contribution, noting,
I feel like what he brought to this movie is a whole other tone I think we haven’t quite seen yet. It’s funny, but it’s also real, and it just has the right balance of everything.
The Hollywood strikes were a problem for many productions, and while it was a struggle for Thunderbolts*, the delay might actually have been a benefit, as Stan explains, “We only discovered that by them actually having more time to work on it, which wouldn’t have happened if we went a year ago.”
Thunderbolts* is set to be the 36th movie of the MCU. This collected team of creatives, as well as their somewhat new spin on the superhero formula that appears deeply integrated into the MCU, might just present something new to the audience.
Thunderbolts* will be released in theaters on May 2, 2025.
