When Disney made the controversial decision to release Black Widow on its short-lived "Premier Access" platform, any shot the movie had at being a box office success was destroyed. For star and producer Scarlett Johansson, it meant missing out on a lot of money she was owed, and a lawsuit followed.
That was eventually settled, though relations between the actress and Disney were definitely damaged. Those were later put to bed, with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige revealing, "We are already working with Scarlett on another non-Black Widow related top-secret Marvel Studios project with her as a producer."
That was in November 2021, and while Johansson has since expressed her excitement to continue playing a role in the MCU, we've heard absolutely nothing more about the mystery TV show or movie.
Unfortunately, it seems that's down to it no longer happening.
According to trusted insider @MyTimeToShineH, "That project is dead." They don't share any additional details on what it was or why it's no longer happening, but we wouldn't be surprised if it's down to Thunderbolts basically being Black Widow 2. Had Marvel Studios chosen to highlight Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova in her own movie, Johansson may well have been involved.
The trades have yet to chime in on this and we're not sure if they will. Feige's declaration has been largely forgotten since he first made it, and with Marvel Studios said to be focusing on quality over quantity, this could be another project that's had to be put on ice for now.
Then again, there are a lot of gaps in that Phase 6 slate yet to be filled, so you never know when and where Johansson's name could crop up in the MCU.
Keep checking back here for updates as we have them.
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