Guess Who’s Taking Over For Scarlett Johansson In ‘Black Widow’

A new superhero era is on the horizon!

The Marvel Cinematic Universe will begin its Phase 4 with Scarlett Johansson’s long-awaited solo adventure “Black Widow,” which is currently scheduled for release in November 2020. In an interview with Empire magazine, the film’s director Cate Shortland hinted at a bright future for Florence Pugh’s incoming character Yelena Belova as they franchise bids a final farewell to Johansson’s Natasha Romanova.

“[Kevin Feige] realized that the audience would expect an origin story so, of course, we went in the opposite direction,” Shortland told the publication. “And we didn’t know how great Florence Pugh would be. We knew she would be great, but we didn’t know how great. Scarlett is so gracious, like, ‘Oh, I’m handing her the baton.’ So, it’s going to propel another female storyline.”

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The movie will also address Black Widow’s tragic sacrifice on Vormir in “Avengers: Endgame.” Shortland explained, “In ‘Endgame,’ the fans were upset that Natasha did not have a funeral. Whereas Scarlett, when I spoke to her about it, said Natasha wouldn’t have wanted a funeral. She’s too private, and anyway, people don’t really know who she is.”

“So, what we did in this film was allow the ending to be the grief the individuals felt, rather than a big public outpouring,” she continued. “I think that’s a fitting ending for her.”

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In May, Pugh opened up to Elle UK about landing her debut role in the MCU. “Essentially you need to look good moving,” she said. “For me, I loved all of that because I grew up with a lot of dance and a lot of movement. I was always fighting my brother [actor and musician Toby Sebastian], so I find all of that combat stuff so exciting. Once you’ve put it on camera you’ve got to know how to make it look right and that’s a whole different beast.'”

The Oscar nominee added, “When I got the job, I wanted to know what the regime was. I wanted to know whether it was them or me calling the shots. That was a big deal for me. I didn’t want to be part of something where I was constantly checked on. And people making sure I was in the ‘right’ shape. That’s not me at all.”

— Gabi Duncan