Black Widow: David Hayter reveals the plot for his canceled 2004 superhero film

Last Updated on January 12, 2024

Natasha Romanoff has been fighting an uphill battle ever since she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Jon Favreau’s Iron Man 2. In addition to being the only female Avenger in a boys’ club of super-powered dudes (for a time), plans to give her a solo film kept getting derailed by Marvel’s musical chairs approach to priorities and other extraneous factors. When Marvel finally announced Cate Shortland’s 2021 film Black Widow, some fans felt it was too late for the deceased assassin to spend her time in the sun. Despite the film’s questionable CGI and bizarre positioning in the MCU timetable, Black Widow brings some of the best aspects of the character center stage. Black Widow also gives fans Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), arguably one of Marvel’s best on-screen characters in a post-Endgame world. However, did you know David Hayter (Wolves) almost directed a Black Widow film in 2004? It almost happened, and now Hayter is taking to social media to reveal plot elements of his canceled Black Widow movie.

According to Hayter, a scene in his shelved film would have featured a young Natasha Romanova fighting back against her Red Room oppressors, accompanied by a sweet needle drop of Rush’s classic rock song “Tom Sawyer.” Hayter says some of his canceled Black Widow movie would have occurred during the Cold War and its contentious nuclear arms race.

It's kind of heartbreaking,

But in my BLACK WIDOW movie, when twelve-year-old Natasha first stood up to fight her Red Room comrades, I was going to needle-drop Tom Sawyer.#BlackWidow https://t.co/N3GzBi51Rj pic.twitter.com/WaOJQTqG32

— David Hayter (@DavidBHayter) December 27, 2023

Sadly, Lionsgate canceled the film project in 2006 when studios felt female-led action films dominated the market. Do Ultraviolet, Underworld: Evolution, X-Men: The Last Stand, and DOA: Dead or Alive equate to “oversaturation?” Okay, Lionsgate. Whatever you say.

Hayter says he was “heartbroken” when the studio canceled his Black Widow film project. Indeed, a Black Widow movie released in the mid-2000s makes more sense than Marvel’s belated 2021 effort. Knowing Hayter’s style, the film could have been grittier, more brutal, and had more impact on the MCU overall.

What do you think about Lionsgate canceling David Hayter’s Black Widow movie because of an oversaturation of female-led action films? Do you want to know more details about the plot and cast of characters? What do you think about Shortland’s Black Widow? Let us know in the comments below.