Scarlett Johansson Weighs in on the Idea of a Black Widow Movie

Lately, it feels like Marvel is giving everyone a standalone film. Iron Man, Thor and Captain America have had their own franchises for a while, but now the likes of Black Panther, Doctor Strange and Spider-Man are joining them. Notably absent from this list are any films with women at the center (except for the Brie Larson-starring Captain Marvel, which is still a few years off).

Currently Marvel’s most notable female character, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow has already appeared in five separate Marvel films, including both Avengers films and two Captain America movies. In spite of the character’s prolific nature, she has yet to be given a solo film of her own. Avengers: Infinity War directors Joe and Anthony Russo have expressed interest in the project, as has Marvel head Kevin Feige, who said that the studio was “creatively and emotionally” committed to pursuing it.

Now, the actress behind Black Widow herself has weighed in on the idea. Scarlett Johansson sat down for an interview with Variety, and discussed her feelings about the project:

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.

Johansson also points out that a Black Widow movie could take a number of shapes. It could be her origin story, or it could focus on an aspect of the larger overarching story of the Marvel universe. “There are so many ways you can go,” she said. “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.”

Make it so, fans. Check out Johansson’s full interview with Variety here.