Scarlett Johansson confirms “top secret” Marvel project

Black Widow actor Scarlett Johansson may be a secret assassin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but turns out she is also a secret project worker.

Black Widow maybe long gone – both literally and figuratively- but Scarlett Johansson’s time at Marvel is far from over.

While the actor is best known for her role as the redheaded assassin, who finally received a solo movie back in 2021, turns out that during that time, she had also been working on a super secret project.

And now Marvel has come out with more information on said project, despite it still being very much a mystery.

Scarlett Johansson confirms “secret Marvel Studios project” with Kevin Feige

In the few press-release months after the release of 2021’s Black Widow, which was Johansson’s eighth – and seemingly final – outing as Natasha Romanoff, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige revealed that the two were actually working together as producers on a “non-Black Widow related top-secret Marvel Studios project.”

However, for a while that quote was the only piece of information that we got. When Marvel announced its Phase 5 and 6 plans, this secret project was seemingly no where to be found. And we hadn’t even gotten any word from Johannsson herself. During a conversation with fellow Marvel star Gwyneth Paltrow on her podcast, the actor re-emphasized that she is finished playing Black Widow, explaining that the “chapter is done,” which we assumed could also refer her time at Marvel as a whole. But obviously that is not the case.

Speaking with ComicBook.com at the press junket for Wes Anderson’s newest film Asteroid City, Johansson confirmed that her mystery Marvel producing project is still in the works. However, she also noted that progress has been paused due to the WGA writers’ strike.

“It is still happening. Yes,” the actor said. “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.”

Johansson added that developments had been happening just before the strike began on May 2nd: “Right before the strike, we were in the middle of developing it, and now everything is at a simmer.”

While this confirmation is great to hear, details are still few and far between surrounding what the project actually is. Considering the expansion of the MCU over the past few years, Johansson could be involved in anything on either the big screen or the small screen. Though considering her (now settled) lawsuit with Disney for the hybrid streaming/cinema rollout of Black Widow, when she had been promised a full theatrical release, perhaps working with Disney+ could be a sore spot.

Asteroid City will premiere in cinemas on June 23, 2023. Black Widow is currently available to stream on Disney+.