After the credits rolled on Black Widow in 2021, fans had reason to believe that, after a long partnership and eight movies, Scarlett Johansson’s involvement with Marvel Studios was done. However, we were surprised with the announcement that the actor was attached to produce a “top secret” project with mega-boss Kevin Feige, and that it was not related to Black Widow at all. It’s been a couple of years since we’ve last heard of this project, but Johansson says it’s still very much alive.
During a press junket for Asteroid City, Johansson spoke to ComicBook.com and confirmed this information, but stayed mum on the nature of the project. The actor provided an important update regarding production, though: The WGA strike has impacted the secret Marvel project, so this means that it will take even more time for us to discover what Johansson and Feige have been working on together.
“It is still happening. Yes. It is still happening, [but] not currently because nothing is happening right now. We’re all sort of in this holding pattern as we wait out the writers’ strike and potentially our own guild strike, and so on and so forth. Right before the strike, we were in the middle of developing it, and now everything is at a simmer.”
Johansson vs. Mickey Mouse
The top secret project was first mentioned by Kevin Feige after Johansson had a very public feud with Disney over the way that the Mickey Mouse studio decided to distribute Black Widow. After getting its premiere in theaters delayed due to the pandemic, the movie ended up released simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ as an exclusive title — which, according to Johansson’s lawyers, was in breach of contract. In October, 2021, Disney and Johansson agreed to settle the legal dispute, and details of it were never disclosed.
After the lawsuit, statements from both Johansson and Disney suggested they’d keep working together, and this latest statement from the Avengers actor further signals that both parties put their differences aside and moved on. So far, we have no hints of which Marvel project that the two-time Oscar nominee is producing, but we do know that she’s actively involved in Taika Waititi’s Tower of Terror, which she’s also set to star and produce for Disney.
While we wait for Marvel’s secret project reveal, we will be able to enjoy Johansson’s talent in the upcoming movies My Mother’s Wedding and Project Artemis, as well as Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City, which premieres in theaters this Friday.
via Collider