Meanwhile, Favreau, suddenly without a Black Widow for Iron Man 2, returned to Lost in Translation star Scarlett Johansson, who had screen-tested for the role, but hadn’t felt right for it at the time. The actress recently told Parade that the audition had gone wonderfully, but recalls telling the director “‘If this doesn’t work out, I’m an actor for hire, so call me anytime.’” That he did was a blessing, she says. “The best call you can receive is after you are rejected for something and then you get it. You appreciate it more. I’ve basically made a career out of being second choice.”
But for a while, the actress didn’t even know whether her version of Black Widow would work out.
“When we did Iron Man [2], I didn’t know if the audience would like my interpretation of the character,” she said, noting that everything clicked during production on Joss Whedon‘s first Avengers film in 2012, and the first 360 shot of the team together fighting in NYC sealed the deal. “It’s the iconic hero shot. We were all thinking, This is crazy! because these worlds were coming together. We’re still processing how much of an impact these movies have had.”
It took a long time for Marvel to start working on a solo movie for Johansson’s Widow, and it’s a project that has faced the biggest box office obstacle yet, with its release date already pushed back in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The film, which takes place before Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, will see Natasha go back to her roots and tangle with the villainous Taskmaster, who can mimic the skills of super-powered individuals he comes into contact with.
“It’s a film very much about self-forgiveness and accepting decisions that were made for you,” Johansson says of the upcoming movie. “It’s much deeper than anything we could have done earlier.”
