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Ray Winstone Joins Marvel’s ‘Black Widow’ (EXCLUSIVE)

“The Departed” star Ray Winstone has joined Marvel’s “Black Widow” standalone movie, sources tell Variety.

“Stranger Things'” David Harbour and “Midsommar’s” Florence Pugh are also on board to star alongside Scarlett Johansson. Cate Shortland has signed on to direct from Jac Schaeffer’s script, with Kevin Feige producing.

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Marvel had no comment on the casting. The film is currently in production in London.

Plot details for the standalone “Black Widow” pic are unknown, though it’s expected to follow Marvel’s other films that focus on a single hero as an origin tale. Winstone’s role in the film is also unknown.

Since Johansson first appeared as Black Widow in 2010’s “Iron Man 2” and with the more recent increased attention on women-led films, there’s been a push from Marvel fans for Black Widow to get her own origin movie like every other Avenger. With the latest phase of the MCU coming to a close with “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” the studio felt the time was right to move forward on the project.

Best known for his roles in “The Departed,” “Sexy Beast,” and “Noah,” Winstone can be seen next in Universal and Working Title’s “Cats” adaptation, which bows Dec. 20, 2019. He most recently appeared in the StudioCanal pic “King of Thieves.” Other credits include “Snow White and the Huntsman” and “Hugo.”

He is repped by WME and Creative Artists Management.

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