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Scarlett Johansson Struggles with 'The Batman 2' Role

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Entertainment Desk

In Short: Scarlett Johansson has revealed that her role in 'The Batman Part II' was particularly challenging, causing her a lot of existential angst.

Scarlett Johansson has revealed that her role in 'The Batman Part II' was particularly challenging, causing her a lot of existential angst. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Johansson said, 'It gave me a lot of existential angst, for some reason.'

Johansson, who played Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is now joining the DC universe in Matt Reeves' sequel to 'The Batman.' Her role remains a mystery, but she described it as 'very hard to figure out,' adding, 'I don’t know why, whether it was just the role or it was just where I am in my life, but it was just hard to crack it.'

Johansson’s role in 'The Batman Part II' is rumored to be that of Gilda Dent or Poison Ivy. However, she has not confirmed this, and her character remains undisclosed. In an interview with ET Tonight, Johansson said, 'And that’s all I can say about it,' adding it was 'a tough role.'

Director Matt Reeves confirmed in May that Johansson would be joining the sequel to his 2022 film, which stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Reeves had to leave the film temporarily due to a family matter, with Steven Soderbergh stepping in to oversee the final stages of shooting.

Johansson expressed gratitude to Soderbergh for his assistance during the challenging time. She told Entertainment Weekly, 'I am profoundly grateful to Steven for coming to my aid during this challenging time to help me finish principal photography. Thank you to all for your concern and well wishes.'

The cast includes some of Johansson's fellow Marvel stars, such as Sebastian Stan and Brian Tyree Henry.

Johansson’s role in 'The Batman Part II' is described as a villain who has not been adapted for live-action before. This adds a new dimension to the DC universe, as the film aims to introduce a character that has not been previously seen in live-action adaptations.

While the exact nature of Johansson’s role remains a mystery, her comments suggest that the character is complex and challenging. The role seems to push her out of her comfort zone, making it one of the most difficult roles she has taken on.

The film is set to continue the psychological exploration of Bruce Wayne and Batman that Robert Pattinson praised in the first film. Pattinson noted that the sequel has 'an understanding of Bruce Wayne and Batman's psychology' that he doesn't 'think has been seen before.'

Background

What's confirmed

• “It gave me a lot of existential angst, for some reason,” she said of the ‘Batman’ follow-up.
• Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, she was asked which of her two upcoming roles, in ‘The Exorcist: Martyrs’ and ‘The Batman Part II,’ pushed her furthest out of her comfort zone.
• “I don’t know why, whether it was just the role or it was just where I am in my life, but it was just hard to crack it,” Johansson added, as shared by Variety.

What's still developing

• Now Stan has been cast in an entirely different comic book universe, joining Matt Reeves ' The Batman Part II as Gotham City district attorney, Harvey Dent, who eventually becomes the coin-flipping supervillain, Two-Face.
• The Hollywood Reporter said Johansson was in “final negotiations” to sign on, a notable jump for the former Avenger.
• Now Johansson is offering a rare peek at what the experience has been like, and it sounds far from a victory lap.
• Although Scarlett Johansson is no stranger to a big-budget superhero flick, she found herself in uncharted territory when making the jump from Marvel to DC.
• At 24 fps, a 2 hour movie would take 450+ years to complete.
• Reeves has already said that The Batman 2 would feature a baddie (somewhat) new to movies, and Uma Thurman ‘s Mae West-inspired take in Batman & Robin is still the best part of that film.
• Although the comic book version of Poison Ivy has the ability to control plants, which makes her a strange fit in Reeves’s world without superpowers, one could imagine Johansson playing an eco-terrorist with botanical bombs of some sort.
• While James Gunn's DC Universe franchise is still working on its reboot for Batman, the next installment for Matt Reeves' version of the Caped Crusader is in the works.

Sources

• Colliderlink
• Comicbasicslink
• Comicbooklink
• Cosmicbooklink
• Deadlinelink
• Den of Geeklink
• Entertainment Weeklylink
• Ignlink
• Screenrantlink
• The Hollywood Reporterlink
• Varietylink
• Vulturelink
• WarpBeat — background on Scarlett Johansson Reveals 'The Batman Part II' Role Was Challenging link
• Wikipedia — background on The Batman: Part II link
• O' So Curious — video link