Thunderbolts Star David Harbour Was Shocked to Learn Harrison Ford's Role Was Revealed in the Movie (Exclusive)

Harrison Ford is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a key role. Ford, the screen icon that has starred in both Star Wars and Indiana Jones, will be taking over as Marvel's new Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, replacing the late William Hurt. Thunderbolt Ross is about to have a lot on his plate, with Ford set to appear in both Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts. Some of his co-stars, however, didn't get the memo that knowledge of his role in the films has been made public.

On the red carpet of the BoxLunch Holiday Gala for Feeding America, ComicBook.com caught up with Black Widow star David Harbour, who is reprising the role of Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian in Thunderbolts. We asked about Harrison Ford's role in the film, and he seemed to be surprised that people knew about the casting.

"I'm not going to speak about that because I don't think he's been announced in the movie," Harbour said. When we informed him that Ford's inclusion in Thunderbolts is public knowledge, he still wasn't sure what he should disclose.

"Oh he's been announced as being in the {movie]? Have we talked to Kevin Feige about this yet? Well, I'll have to read the new draft then, won't I? But i will talk about Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan and Wyatt Russell."

Thunderbolts Release Date Delayed

On Thursday, Disney pushed back the release dates of several upcoming films, including a few titles from Marvel Studios. Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts were both among the affected films.

Captain America: Brave New World will be moving away from its summer 2024 release date and instead hitting theaters on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2025. Thunderbolts was set for a release on December 20, 2024, but has now been moved to July 25, 2025.

Marvel's Thunderbolts Movie Won't Be a Black Widow Sequel

Thunderbolts includes a lot of characters featured in 2021's Black Widow film, and it will be taking a similarly grounded approach to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That doesn't mean it will feel like a Black Widow sequel.

While speaking to ComicBook.com about his work on Netflix's Beef, Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier opened up about his approach to Marvel's new team-up.

"Yeah, I wouldn't look at this as a sequel at all, and we don't talk about it that way, and we've never really kind of approached it that way in any of the conversations we've had with Kevin [Feige] or Brian [Chapek] in working on it," Schreier said. "I think there's a story to be told about a group of characters who can relate to each other in a certain way, or have gone through certain things, and we're going to get into that."

"And so much as... I mean, obviously, Florence has proved how captivating she could be in the MCU, and I think it's great to have that as a reference point, but I think we're all talking about making a movie," he continued. "You can come, and if you've seen that stuff, then great. If you haven't, there's still going to be a complete story that's being told in a movie that works on its own, for sure, while remaining part of the overall storyline."

Marvel's Thunderbolts is set to hit theaters on July 25, 2025.