According to reports that originated with the infamous Daily Mail—so file them in the “hm, maybe” pile for now—Scarlett Johansson has signed on to reprise her role as Natasha Romanoff for a solo Black Widow film. The reports also claim that Johansson will be paid $25 million for her appearance, with her agents currently negotiating for additional producer credits that would give her a cut of the box office revenue. If true, this would be one of the highest single-movie payouts for an actress in Hollywood.
As we wrote up earlier this month, Marvel has reportedly hired a writer for the project—Jac Schaeffer—so we know they’re finally at least considering the Black Widow movie they could’ve made years ago. And we know that Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige wishes Marvel had launched the first female-led superhero flick, rather than leaving it to DC and Warner Bros.’s Wonder Woman. So it’s definitely feasible that Johansson has agreed to come on board if they move forward.
In addition, the report claims that Marvel and Disney are hoping to move quickly on this one, aiming for a 2020 release date. One of the Daily Mail‘s sources said, “Scarlett is adored by Disney’s top brass and is a real team player. This stand-alone movie is out there for them, but they feel it can make history. The wages are high, but nothing she doesn’t deserve given her track record as this character.”
While I totally agree with that last bit, there’s reason to raise an eyebrow at this report. It mentions that Jude Law and Ben Mendelsohn are “potential co-stars” for the film, but Jude Law has already been cast in Captain Marvel, as has Ben Mendelsohn. Given that Captain Marvel is a ’90s period piece, I’m curious as to whether Law and Mendelsohn would realistically also be considered for Black Widow roles. How likely is it that the Black Widow movie would really be an ’90s-set origin story that finds her alongside Captain Marvel villains and allies?
Johansson herself has said that Natasha has “a really rich origins story” that could make for a great solo film. “There’s a lot of places you can go,” she said. “You can bring it back to Russia. You could explore the Widow program. There’s all kinds of stuff that you could do with it.” So it’s possible that such an origin story might involve these two characters from Captain Marvel, and I’d personally squeal if the Black Widow movie involves a team-up with Carol Danvers. But I’m questioning.
There’ll doubtless be more reports and rumors as the movie continues through the pre-production process, so stay tuned and stay curious, TMSers.
(Via io9; image: Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios)
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