After Avengers: Secret Wars, a whole wave of large-scale projects is planned in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – X-Men, Ghost Rider and the third part of Black Panther. Lost among these high-profile announcements was a less-promoted but no less anticipated film about the Nova Corps, dedicated to a centurion named Richard Rider. The premiere date has not yet been set, but screenwriter Michael Waldron has already lifted the veil of secrecy over a possible plot.
In the comics, Richard Rider is promoted to Nova Centurion following the death of Romain Day, the last surviving member of the elite Nova Corps from the planet Xandar. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Nova Corps was completely destroyed off-screen – Thanos massacred the Xandarians even before the events of Avengers: Infinity War, hunting for the Power Stone. According to Waldron, the film will have to play with this tragedy one way or another.
They’ll have to deal with this. Yes.
The Russo brothers are even glad they started filming Avengers: Judgment Day without a finished script, because “that’s how the real magic happens.”
The screenwriter noted that any expansion of the cosmic component of the Marvel Cinematic Universe would be an interesting twist, hinting that this is exactly what the future film will do. Waldron also shared which Nova comic arcs he likes best.
Annihilation is probably the most obvious choice, right? The character has been around for generations, and that’s why it took so long to bring him to the screen – you have to decide where to start the story. Should the story begin on Earth or immediately in space, in the ranks of the Nova Corps? Whoever does this, I hope they do a good job.
Waldron comes with a lot of caveats, as the Nova movie isn’t even officially on Marvel’s release schedule yet. The only confirmation of the project’s existence came from Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige at the 2026 San Diego Comic-Con. Waldron’s caution is understandable given Marvel’s strict leak policy.
I don’t know if I can really talk about what I’m working on for Marvel right now. But I will say this: I love Nova. I love Rich Ryder.
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Since working together on the Loki series, Waldron has become one of Marvel Studios’ key writers. Over the years, he has written Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and is also listed as a co-writer on Avengers: Judgment Day. The main writer of the script for Judgment Day was Stephen McFeely.
Despite having four screenwriters working on the film, director Joe Russo recently revealed that Judgment Day began filming without a final script, which he says allows the real “magic” to happen on set.
The Nova film has not yet received a release date. “Avengers: Judgment Day” will be released on December 18th.
