She is arguably the biggest US female movie star on the planet right now so it’s no surprise that Scarlett Johansson’s name is linked with many upcoming projects. With Ghost in the Shell out now in the UK and USA and the filming of Avengers: Infinity War and its follow-up now up and running, she’s certainly as busy as she has ever been but rumours about in recent weeks of what may be one of next projects.
Acclaimed director Fede Alvarez (Don’t Breathe) is set to direct The Girl in The Spider’s Web, a new film based on the novel by David Lagercrantz which is a follow-up to Stieg Larsson’s series of books and Johansson’s name has been linked with the lead role of Lisbeth Salander. While this would be the 2nd film in the series after David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo from 2011, it will feature a new cast and story.
Speaking with the Happy Sad Confused Podcast (via The Playlist), Johansson spoke about the rumours (which have also linked Oscar Winner Natalie Portman with the role) and said she heard about them the same way everyone else did:
“I actually found out about that because somebody mentioned it to me, but it never came through any professional…it still hasn’t been mentioned to me by anybody I work with. But it’s hard to imagine…such a huge appeal of that project was the ability to collaborate [with David Fincher],” she said. “Even our creative conversations in the very early stages, just in that audition process, was really exciting.”
It seems unlikely then that Johansson would take on the role given the lack of contact and the fact that originally it was Fincher’s name that caught her attention. Whether that is a definitive no, or indeed if opens the door for Portman, remains to be seen.
The Girl in The Spider’s Web is set to open on October 5th, 2018.
