Thunderbolts* star David Harbour has explained why material present in the trailer didn't make the final cut.

The superhero film, the 36th in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, follows the titular band of antiheroes as they are forced into a dangerous, life-altering mission that could potentially lead to redemption.

Ahead of the film's UK theatrical release on Thursday (1 May), Harbour and co-star Wyatt Russell spoke exclusively with Digital Spy about the filming process, with Harbour sharing that some of the material included in the marketing campaign wouldn't be included in the final cut of the film.

"It's been fun to watch the marketing too because there is so much stuff on the cutting room floor that maybe the marketing team just picked up – little moments that aren't in the movie that they are just taking," said Harbour.

"There was so much footage of us just messing around that makes for a really fun trailer beat, but doesn't quite make it for the movie. There was a ton of good stuff," continued the star, who plays Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian.

david harbour, thunderbolts
Disney

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"It really was so fun and it was in situations where we kind of had no business having any fun," said Russell, who portrays John Walker / US Agent. "It wasn't like you're in some Hawaiian shirt drinking Mai Tais on a beach."

"No, we were in super suits in hot weather in Mojave in a car with no air conditioning, but still laughing," added Harbour, who reprises his role from Black Widow alongside Florence Pugh, Olga Kurylenko and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

wyatt russell, sebastian stan, hannah johnkamen, david harbour thunderbolts
Marvel Studios

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While Harbour and Russell recalled their happiness of the filming experience, director Jake Schreier recently shared his inspirations for the superhero film, explaining that Pixar's Toy Story 3 was a major influence.

"I had Toy Story 3 in there," he said. "It wasn't as focused on a genre as much as dynamics amongst characters. They all have that dynamic of a team that is thrown together. That [furnace] sequence works so well because you’ve come to care about these characters so much."

Thundebolts* is in cinemas on 1 May in the UK before releasing a day later in the US.

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Lettermark

Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media.  His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
 

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Movies Editor, Digital Spy  Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor.  Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world.   After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.