Scarlett Johansson in final talks to join ‘The Batman’ sequel

Four years after leaving the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Scarlett Johansson is heading to DC’s Gotham City.

Sources say the actress is in final negotiations to join The Batman Part IIthe long-running sequel to Matt Reeves’ 2021 hit. If the deal goes through, it would be a shock for the project which aims to go before the cameras next year. She will film first The Exorcist before moving on to Batman.

Johansson is one of the highest-grossing stars in the world, with her work in Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff in the MCU just part of her successes, which also include July’s. Jurassic World: Renaissance. She also recently released her directorial debut, the low-key drama Eleanor the Greatwith June Squibb.

It’s been a winding road to The Batman sequel, which Warner Bros. first announced in April 2022 at CinemaCon. In early 2023, DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran said the film would be released in October 2025, but a year later this was pushed back a year to October 2, 2026, then pushed back to October 1, 2027.

Robert Pattinson will return to play the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne, with filmmaker Reeves directing and co-writing the screenplay with Mattson Tomlin. The Batmanreleased in March 2022, performed strongly at the box office, grossing $770.3 million. It also spawned a Max spin-off centered on Colin Farrell’s Penguin. The cast included Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Jeffery Wright as Jim Gordon, Paul Dano as the Riddler, Andy Serkis as Alfred, and Barry Keoghan as an Arkham Asylum inmate considered a version of the Joker.

Nexus Point News was first to report Johansson’s involvement in Batman.