Just when we began to suspect that Kevin Feige was offering false assurances with his remarks that Marvel was "most committed" to its Black Widow movie, we learned that they hired a screenwriter for the project. And the latest news is that the movie might arrive sooner than expected.
The Daily Mail published a new report that suggests that the Black Widow movie would place Scarlett Johansson on the verge of becoming the highest-paid actress in Hollywood. The report included some new and highly interesting information.
We estimated that it would be three to four years before the movie came to fruition, but the UK-based outlet revealed that the studio was determined to have it in theaters in 2020. Here's a direct quote from their "well-placed" film industry source:
The script is being written, and the hopes are to have the standalone film in cinemas by summer 2020.
According to the Daily Mail report, Johansson’s return as Natasha Romanoff is expected to earn her a whopping $25 million. What’s more, she would be in line to receive a bonus estimated at $6 million if the movie surpasses the $900 million mark at the worldwide box office.
The source explained that Marvel and Disney agreed to such a huge payday for the 33-year-old actress because she "brings her A-game during each performance". They also felt that the project could potentially "make history" by outdoing Wonder Woman's lifetime theatrical gross of $821 million:
Scarlett will get a huge payday for the Black Widow film, which Disney believes could eclipse Wonder Woman in terms of a female-led superhero film’s revenue.
These details should hearten fans of Scarlett Johansson and her Marvel Cinematic Universe character, but they should take them with a grain of salt until we have official confirmation from Marvel.
We should also mention that the Daily Mail report appeared to reflect a degree of inaccuracy. It mentioned Jude Law and Ben Mendelsohn as potential co-stars for Johansson. However, the actors are set to join Brie Larson in Captain Marvel, another female-led MCU installment that will begin filming in February 2018 and work toward a March 2019 release date.
