Following five appearances as trained super-spy Natasha Romanov, many consider Scarlett Johansson to be a shoo-in for a Black Widow solo movie.
Last we reported, Marvel was reportedly “committing” to a standalone feature revolving around Miss. Romanov, one that may well court Joss Whedon back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. No development on that front just yet, but it appears that Johansson, who will soon be bound for the futuristic city of Niihama for Ghost in the Shell, remains open to the prospect of a solo outing “under the right circumstances.”
Word comes by way of Variety, where Johansson is one of the many cover stars for the outlet’s Power of Women issue. Buried in the piece is mention of Black Widow, leading the actress to discuss the ways in which Marvel could go about crafting a standalone pic.
“I would like for it to happen under the right circumstances. I think there’s a lot of opportunity to mine that story line. She’s got a really rich origins story. There’s a lot of places you can go — 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. You could really uncover the identity of who this person is, where she comes from and where she’s part of.”
Does that open up the game to a prequel movie? It’s something that Johansson refuses to rule out.
“It’s a possibility. There’s plenty of back story. Or not. It could be something else. Where do the Avengers go? They are underground. What happens then? What happens after it all falls apart? There are so many ways you can go. I think it would just have to be very much like its own specific thing. It would have to have its own specific vibe. It would have been totally different than any of the other standalone films. I think if the fans wanted it enough, then it would probably become a reality. I talked to them [Marvel] about it often. It would have to fit in the idea of where they want to go. I’m invested in that character. Marvel is greatly invested in that character. If I did it, I’d have to do it while I still actually wanted to wear a skin-tight catsuit. I don’t know how much longer that’s going to be.”
Last seen duking it out with and against her fellow Avengers in Captain America: Civil War, Scarlett Johansson will next be seen headlining Ghost in the Shell for Paramount. Beyond that, a role in Avengers: Infinity War seems all but certain. How will a Black Widow solo movie slot into Marvel’s stacked slate going forward? Who knows. But at least for now, Johansson remains on board.