Marvel is pressing and pressing hard to get Avengers 5 going. Marvel reportedly wants to get everything in order so they can start shooting the next Avengers movie in 2025. Deadline’s sources say more than 60 MCU characters, including Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Simu Liu, and Karen Gillian, could reprise their roles in the movie. It’s also said that the film will be much more of an ensemble rather than several characters leading the team. There’s also the matter of Kang the Conqueror. Although Jonathan Majors was fired by Marvel following his assault charges, it’s unclear if Kang will be recast or replaced by another villain. There’s also talk that he could be joined by another villain.
Benedict Cumberbatch may have unintentionally confirmed that Marvel Studios will be up and running on filming Avengers 5 for what’s been rumored to be the production start date in January 2025. Entertainment Weekly reports that Cumberbatch follows his superhero brethren, Mark Ruffalo and Tom Holland, in letting his lips get loose on some information when he filmed a career retrospective interview for Netflix in support of his most recent series, Eric. Cumberbatch would go on to say,
I’m very much looking forward to Avengers next year, which is cooking up a storm.”
Recent reports suggest Iman Vellani (Kamala Khan) and Hailee Steinfeld (Kate Bishop) will be the new faces of the Avengers when the team returns to the silver screen (which was set up in a post-credits tag from The Marvels), but nothing is confirmed. Marvel has planted seeds for a Young Avengers team to take center stage, with Kamala assuming a Nick Fury-like role in gathering a team of up-and-coming heroes to defend humanity. However, that trajectory could change with the MCU being in constant flux.
As far as directors go, Shang Chi‘s Destin Daniel Cretton was formerly attached to the project, but he would depart and reports suggest that Marvel is courting Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy to take over the film. Levy has been given Michael Waldron‘s script for the next Avengers movie, and while no decisions have been made, Marvel is “still planning to meet with other directors while they wait on a decision from [Levy].”