While Scarlett Johansson has plenty of non-genre material on her resume, she has also done quite a nice job becoming a blockbuster franchise maven. In addition to her many years playing Natasha Romanoff a.k.a. Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the last few years have also seen her voice a Transformer and get chased by dinosaurs in Jurassic World: Rebirth, and it was just recently that she landed the lead role in writer/director Mike Flanagan’s upcoming Exorcist movie. But she’s not stopping there! According to new reports, she is now setting up her first appearance in a feature from DC Studios, as she is in talks for a role in The Batman Part II.
What part she will play in the upcoming film is not yet clear (we don’t even know if it will be a hero or villain role), but The Hollywood Reporter has gotten word that she is in negotiations for the long-developing sequel. Should she end up signing on the proverbial dotted line, she will join a canon that is populated with tremendous acting talent including Robert Pattinson, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Andy Serkis and Barry Keoghan.
Little is known plot-wise about The Batman: Part II, which further adds to the mystery regarding the role that Scarlett Johansson will be playing. The movie will pick up on the aftermath of the events in the previous film, which saw The Riddler execute a terrorist plot to literally flood the city of Gotham, but it’s unclear what the focus of the narrative will be or who will be the new principal antagonist. Until an official announcement is made, we can surely expect all varieties of fan casting, from villains like Poison Ivy or Harley Quinn to Leslie Thompkins or Vicki Vale.
The Batman: Part II was officially announced nearly four years ago, and it has had its release date pushed a couple times, but filming is scheduled to begin in 2026 in advance of the project’s planned October 1, 2027 launch.
Johansson has had a big year in 2025, and it doesn’t appear that she’s planning a slowdown as we get into 2026. In addition to starring in the box office hit Jurassic World: Rebirth in the summer, she also made her directorial debut in the fall with the drama Eleanor The Great starring June Squibb. Per the new trade report, she will complete her work on the untitled Exorcist movie (which doesn’t presently have a release date) before becoming enveloped in the world of Gotham.
Hopefully it won’t be too much longer until more casting news is announced for The Batman Part II, and as those stories break, we’ll hopefully get more information about what to expect from the upcoming DC movie. Be on the lookout here on CinemaBlend in the coming weeks and months for stories and features about all of the biggest developments with the exciting production.