A new rumor has suggested that Marvel Studios is keen on casting Ryan Gosling or Alexander Skarsgård for a major Marvel Cinematic Universe villain role.
According to scooper Daniel Richtman (via The Direct), Gosling or Skarsgård are rumored to be Marvel's top picks for "a conflicted and powerful villain" set to appear in Thunderbolts, with the character believed to be the Sentry, a 2000s-era superhero created by writer Paul Jenkins and artist Jae Lee. In the Marvel Comics Universe, the Sentry was Robert Reynolds, a young man who gained the "power of a thousand exploding suns" after ingesting an experimental serum that gave him Superman-like powers. However, the serum also created The Void, an evil reflection of the Sentry that lurks inside Reynolds and manifests when Reynolds' mental illness goes unchecked. At the time of writing, Marvel Studios has not publicly commented on the rumored casting or Sentry's involvement in Thunderbolts, meaning the rumor should be taken with a grain of salt for now.
While Marvel fans have long wanted Gosling to portray the MCU's Nova, the actor has never been too keen on that casting and has instead said that he would like to play Ghost Rider aka the Spirit of Vengeance in a superhero film. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige even responded to Gosling's request, stating, "Hey man, if Ryan wants to be Ghost Rider…" Marvel's head honcho then added that Gosling is "unbelievable" and "amazing" and that he would love to find a place in the MCU for him.
David Harbour Teases the Thunderbolts' Dynamic
While plot details for Thunderbolts remain scarce, David Harbour has teased that the upcoming MCU film will present the titular team as a bunch of losers. "We're like, you know, the losers. And I think it's fun to watch us just mess everything up. I think that's the spectrum. I think it's very funny, but there's also a lot of pathos in that," explained the actor, who reprises his role as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian in Thunderbolts. Harbour also revealed that the movie will be funny, weird and action-packed. "And then we're also going to drop a bomb, which is cool," he added.
Production on Thunderbolts is expected to commence in June 2023. Joining Harbour's Red Guardian on the titular team will be Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova/Black Widow, Wyatt Russell's John Walker/U.S. Agent, Olga Kurylenko's Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster, Hannah John-Kamen's Ava Starr/Ghost and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier. Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Harrison Ford will also star in the upcoming film as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, respectively.
Thunderbolts opens in theaters on July 26, 2024.
Source: Daniel Richtman (via The Direct)