Scarlett Johansson confirms return to MCU via secret Marvel project is ‘still happening’

Scarlet Johansson’s Marvel days aren’t quite over just yet – she and Kevin Feige have something up their sleeve.

When it comes to superhero movies, no one does it quite like Marvel. And if there’s one face synonymous with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), it’s Scarlett Johansson, aka our beloved Black Widow.

Many assumed Johansson’s time in the MCU came to an end with Black Widow; however, it turns out that Johansson’s days in the Marvel realm didn’t quite end with the standalone Black Widow movie.

Marvel’s president Kevin Feige dropped a bombshell following the release of Black Widow, announcing that he and Johansson are collaborating on a “non-Black Widow related top-secret Marvel Studios project.” Interesting, right? But fast forward to the reveal of Marvel’s Phase 5 and parts of Phase 6 slate, and Johansson’s mystery project was suspiciously absent.

Keeping us in suspense, Johansson remained tight-lipped on her Marvel ventures, other than reiterating on Gwyneth Paltrow’s podcast that her time as Black Widow was officially over. But she did confirm that her future with Marvel Studios is far from done.

In fact, she’s shifting gears from acting to producing, adding a new feather to her Marvel cap.

While chatting with Comicbook.com at an Asteroid City press event, Johansson shared some insights into her mystery Marvel-producing project. The project, she confirms, is very much in the works. However, the progress is currently on hold due to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike.

As she puts it, “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.” Any Hollywood projects still in the writing or pre-production phase are now on an indefinite pause due to the strike. Johansson mentioned that they were in the midst of developing the project when the strike began on May 2.

Even more troubling is the potential of a strike by SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ guild. Last week, a whopping 97.91% of the guild supported the authorization of a strike, set to take place if contract talks aren’t resolved by June 30.

Even though the details of the project are under wraps, we can’t help but speculate. Marvel Studios has been diversifying its storytelling platforms, making good use of Disney+ for extended narratives and special presentations. Could Johansson’s secret project take her to the small screen? Only time will tell.

While we wait for more news on her secret Marvel project, you can catch Johansson in Asteroid City, which hits limited theaters on June 16 before expanding to a wide release on June 23.