Surprise: Scarlett Johansson Isn't Done With Marvel Just Yet
Last night, Scarlett Johansson hit the red carpet for the first time in almost two years to accept the 35th annual American Cinematheque Award. Johansson brought along her husband, Colin Jost, and was joined by some of her Marvel costars, including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Samuel L. Jackson, along with the president of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige. It was at the event that Feige made a big announcement, revealing that Johansson is not done with the Marvel Cinematic Universe as previously assumed.
“We are already working on another non-Black Widow-related, top-secret Marvel Studios project with her as a producer,” Feige announced last night. The news is surprising, mainly because Marvel’s parent company, Disney, just settled a lawsuit with Johansson in September. Back in July, Johansson sued Disney, alleging the company breached her contract when they released Black Widow on Disney+ as well as in theaters.
Whatever the settlement involved, it clearly pleased Johansson enough to continue her relationship with Disney. Before the lawsuit, Johansson was set to star in a film with the studio about the famed park ride, Tower of Terror. Following the suit, Johansson remained on the project as star and producer.
Still, that leaves the question of the nature of this mysterious Marvel project Johansson is now working on. It doesn’t seem like she will star in the movie, which makes sense, considering (spoiler), her Black Widow character is dead in the world of the MCU. It is strange, however, to imagine Johansson involved in a Marvel project with no reference to Natasha Romanoff, the character she played for a decade. The most obvious guess is that Johansson will be involved in the continuation of the Black Widow storyline, this time with Florence Pugh’s Yelena taking over the reigns, but then again, Feige did say the project was non-Black Widow-related.
Either way, it’s clear that despite the end of Romanoff’s story and Johansson’s tumultuous past with Disney, she is not done with the MCU just yet, and something tells us she won’t be done until those checks stop clearing.
