André Holland has reportedly auditioned for the lead villain of Black Widow. Marvel Studios is just days away from releasing their first female-led Marvel Cinematic Universe movie with Captain Marvel, but they’re already deep in pre-production on the next one. Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow is finally getting the solo movie that fans have been asking for, with Marvel Studios also hiring their first solo female director in Cate Shortland for the project.

The solo film has been on track to film this year for several months now, but the latest update pointed to a slight delay. Filming will now begin on Black Widow this summer after Avengers: Endgame hits theaters. The small delay hasn’t slowed down Marvel’s process though, as they’re currently focused on finding the right co-stars for Johansson. It was recently reported that Emma Watson is the front runner for the other female lead role, and now a contender for the villain role has been revealed.

According to That Hashtag Show, André Holland read for the lead villain role this week. Holland is just one of many actors to read for the part according to this report, but his audition is said to have caught the attention of Marvel Studios. They are reportedly looking for someone who is “the right mix of a powerful, confident actor who can pull off smart and sexy.” 

Holland had his true breakout role in Best Picture Oscar-winner Moonlight a few years ago, but he was also seen in The Knick and American Horror Story during this stretch of his career. He most recently starred in Stephen Soderbergh’s Netflix basketball drama High Flying Bird and Hulu’s Stephen King series Castle Rock. Holland also had a small role in Disney’s A Wrinkle In Time last year. He reportedly only became a contender for the mysterious villain role after Ned Benson was hired to rewrite the script, which opened up the casting range.

The addition of Holland (and possibly Watson as well) would be a great start to Black Widow’s casting process, but Marvel’s reportedly also looking at more big names for the roles of two Americans working with the villain. That Hashtag Show mentions Rachel Weisz (The Favourite) is eyed for the female role, while Sebastian Koch (Homeland) and Alec Baldwin (Mission: Impossible - Fallout) are up for the male role. With the collection of names that have recently surfaced, it’s clear Marvel is once again aiming high when it comes to casting, but only time will tell whether or not Black Widow is actually able to land any of these names.

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Source: That Hashtag Show

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