LOS ANGELES — Four-time AVN Director of the Year and Wicked Pictures Head of Production, Axel Braun, on Friday announced that the first scene of his anticipated newest entry in the Wicked Comix imprint, Black Widow XXX: An Axel Braun Parody—and its official safe-for-work trailer—are now available online, coinciding with today’s theatrical release of the mainstream version starring Scarlett Johansson.
For his 61st parody, the first one in almost two years after a voluntary pandemic hiatus, Braun, pulled out all the stops and delivered a big-budget, fast-paced, sexy spoo starring Lacy Lennon in the title role as Natasha Romanoff.
“This movie simply wouldn’t exist without Lacy,” said Braun. “The energy she brought on set, her level of commitment to the role and to the project, the amount of preparation and training she did…she was simply outstanding. Lacy is a hardcore comic book geek so she understood the character down to its core, as I knew she would, and of course being one of the industry’s top female performers the sex scenes are off the charts, but I gotta admit I wasn’t prepared for her absolutely amazing acting prowess…all I can say is holy shit!
"She will surprise a lot of people, she is unbelievably good. Here’s a little anecdote just to put it in perspective: a close friend of mine, whom I’ve known for over 15 years, is a top Hollywood producer and he’s given me feedback on all my big movies. The best compliment any of my actors ever received from him had been ‘pretty good acting for porn,' but after he watched Black Widow XXX he called me and said ‘the lead girl should be in mainstream, that’s some amazing acting right there.' His feelings pretty much sum up the stellar performance that Lacy was able to deliver.”
“When you are passionate about what you are doing, every moment on set doesn’t feel like work, but instead it feels like we refine our craft until we produce Axel's utmost vision,“ said Lennon of her career-defining role. “Some days were long, while others were shorter, and I am sad that production is coming to an end because I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
"Being on set with some of the most elite talent in the industry really made me step up my game. I felt honored that Axel cast me as Black Widow, so it was almost as if I had something to prove. I found myself choked up a few times throughout production and that is because Axel, the crew, and my fellow performers made me feel special. That is a rare feeling for me. I tend to be my worst enemy but in Black Widow XXX I felt so much power and confidence."
Lacy continued, "Natasha’s character is right out of the comics. The sex appeal was the easy part, also the part the Marvel religiously leaves out, but delving into this comedic character was new for me. I tend to be quite serious but that is because my origin story isn’t rainbows and sunshine, so nailing that part of Natasha was also easy for me. Axel brought something out of me that I didn’t even know I had; a comical Lacy Lennon! He would have me run certain lines over and over yet making sure each take was completely different. I grew as an actress and as a person because of this movie and Axel.
"What I love most is, as we were shooting Axel would be inspired by these new ideas to add onto the movie. Anything that was presented to me I was absolutely intrigued and excited that we expanded from the original concept. The amount of surprises for the fans is going to blow their minds. From script, to scene performances, to who Axel cast, stunt work, and above all the costumes that truly do trump any mainstream wardrobe in Hollywood. Which if I may add in, my sex scenes are the top scenes I have shot to date.
"I was my iconic wet and sloppy nymphomaniac self that all my fans look forward to, combined with the sultry immortal Black Widow! Being cast in Black Widow is the highlight of my career. As a person who grew up performing, singing, and dancing on stage nothing makes me more complete than being given a role that couldn’t just be handed to anyone. This role was meant for me. I put everything I had into it for not only Axel, Wicked, but for the fans. Letting them be heard for once and doing everything in my power to give them a Natasha that they deserve. I am forever grateful to a part of the Marvel AxelVerse. Thank you Axel, thank you Wicked, and thank you to the supportive fans who inspire us all to continuously expand these universes in our adult world.”
A trained opera singer, Lennon previously played Jean Grey in Braun’s Captain Marvel XXX and sang the film's theme song Asses, a spoof of Celine Dion’s Ashes from Deadpool 2, which propelled the award-winning parody to a Best Soundtrack AVN trophy.
And speaking of Deadpool, once again Braun managed to get three-time AVN Best Actor Seth Gamble to reprise his iconic role, much to the delight of comic fans everywhere.
“It’s always a hoot to play Deadpool," said Gamble, who is now exclusively contracted to Wicked and the Gamma family. “This role means so much to me, it gave me my first Best Actor AVN award and I feel it was really the resurgence of my career. It’s so much fun to step into that costume and really let loose, and it always brings back all the amazing memories of working with Axel, which is always an awesome experience. We had a blast on this movie, and watching Lacy Lennon put so much passion in her role was almost surreal. She totally killed it, that’s 100% Best Actress material and I’m just honored that I got to share the screen with her.”
Braun, for whom Gamble has played characters as challenging and diverse as Luke Skywalker, Captain Boomerang, and Mr. Hyde in numerous award-winning movies over the years, is quick at singing his protégé’s praise.
“What can I say about Seth that I haven’t repeated ad nauseum for the past 10 years?” laughed Braun, who counts Seth among his closest friends. “He’s the real deal. As an actor, a performer, and most importantly as a human being. We have an almost symbiotic friendship, we are very similar, we always know what the other one is thinking without the need to talk and we complement each other creatively. I never feel that I’m directing him, it’s more like we are creating together. We share absolute mutual trust, and I honestly never want to make a movie that without him, because at the end of the day what really stays with you more than the accolades or the financial rewards is the experience, and having Seth always makes it an unforgettable one.”
Another Braun regular, Ramon Nomar, appears in a role that already sent the internet abuzz a couple months ago when his first official images were released: Taskmaster. Unhappy with the re-imagining of the character’s costume that Marvel made oddly similar to a Power Ranger, fans praised Axel’s canon portrayal, which brought to life the classic comic book version of Tony Masters, complete with skull mask and Brooklyn accent.
“Ramon is such a sweetheart,” said Braun. “He’s a real gentleman and a dear friend, always ready and willing to go above and beyond. He’s been in most of my movies, and consistently delivered top-notch performances with a childlike enthusiasm that is refreshing and infectious. As Taskmaster, he had to endure long days on set wearing a claustrophobic silicone mask for several hours at a time in 90-degree temperature, and not once did anybody hear him complain. That’s just who he is. Funny story: at our first fitting his costume needed to be taken in a little, and he said ‘Don’t do anything, just give me three weeks and I’ll fill the costume as it is.' Three weeks later he had built so much muscle that we actually had to make the costume bigger!”
In an inspired casting choice, Braun turned to Russian-born, 6-foot-tall Elena Koshka to play Natasha’s frenemy Yelena Belova, the “other” Black Widow.
“With her supermodel looks, Elena may very well be the most beautiful woman in the business, but she is also incredibly funny and such a giving, gentle soul,” said the director. “Having her on board was awesome, not only because she helped tremendously with the Russian dialogue, but most importantly because she brought to the set a massive amount of kindness and positive energy that became super contagious among cast and crew. She is truly a gem, and I am so grateful to have had her in this movie!”
“Axel is by far the best director I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with,” said Koshka, who previously worked with Braun on Nylon 3 and GirlFest. “His creativity, his guidance, the attention to detail he puts in everything. Being around him makes you want to do your best work, he is so inspiring and so passionate. And Lacy, oh my god, what a phenomenal actress! Our dynamic as Natasha and Yelena was really funny, and her comedic timing and dramatic range are exceptional. Just a wonderful experience from beginning to end.”
Making her debut in an Axel Braun feature, trans star Casey Kisses is having quite a year. Fresh off wrapping Casey: A True Story, a biopic based on her transition journey directed by award-winning writer/director Joanna Angel for Adult Time, Casey plays Petra, a dominatrix who lends more than a helping hand to Natasha, and marking Lennon’s first TS sex performance.
“Casey was so good!” enthused Braun, who is no stranger to shooting TS scenes. Beside having helmed dozens of trans-centric movies as early as 2007 for VCA and Hustler, he famously cast Aubrey Kate as the Supreme Intelligence in his 2019 blockbuster Captain Marvel XXX, for which Kate and Kenzie Taylor won the Best Transgender One-on-One Sex Scene AVN Award. “She was just fantastic, very professional, but also fun and playful. And a great actress! She and Lacy had great chemistry, and having her in this project was a blessing.”
“Working for Axel Braun was incredible!” Kisses said. “The amount of effort and emotion he and his crew put into these films is unmatched in this industry. Performing with Lacy Lennon was definitely a highlight of my career as well, she is such a gifted actress and is very inspiring to be around. Hands down one of the coolest projects I’ve had the pleasure to be a part of!”
Rounding up the supporting cast are two of the top male performers in the industry, Mick Blue and John Strong.
“Mick was a revelation!” said Braun. “I mean, I’ve known him for probably 20 years, he’s always been a great guy, and of course everybody knows he’s one of the all-time top male performers, but wow! His acting and his screen presence were insane, you’ll see what I mean when you watch the movie. I kept telling him how handsome he looked, because he really does, he’s definitely gotten more magnetic with age and he completely nailed the character. He also had to deliver some of his lines in Russian, and he was so believable…I’m putting him in all my features from now on! And John Strong, who is a veteran of my all-sex movies, is also Russian so along with Elena Koshka he was acting as a dialogue coach.
"He’s another unsung hero who typically doesn’t do feature work, but is so talented! I had him play completely against type as the dumb goon, which was quite a stretch, because he has such an alpha personality and commanding presence, but he had a ball doing it and his comedic timing was impeccable. We literally had to do a few extra takes of some of his lines because the crew and I kept cracking up.”
Scene 1 of Black Widow XXX: An Axel Braun Parody is now streaming online at Wicked.com, with the following two scenes scheduled for July 23 and August 6.
A Collector’s Edition Blu-ray disc is slated for a January 2022 release.
Black Widow XXX will also be offered simultaneously to cable operators and satellite providers. This will be the first time for a Braun title to be released on all platforms at the same time.
