Scarlett Johansson says her role in “The Batman: Part II” is the hardest of her career to get right, and she is not saying who she plays.
Asked in an Entertainment Tonight interview which of her upcoming parts pushed her furthest outside her comfort zone, Johansson picked the DC sequel over “The Exorcist: Martyrs.” The Batman role, she said, brought “existential angst.” She struggled to find the character and could not say why, wondering if the part itself or her stage of life was to blame.
Director Matt Reeves confirmed her casting in May by posting a GIF of her 2013 film “Under the Skin,” a nod that told fans little. The silence has fed years of guessing. Theories include a gender-swapped Harvey Dent, Gilda Dent or Gilda Gold, Andrea Beaumont, Silver St. Cloud and Poison Ivy. A first-look image showing Johansson with short dark hair pushed many fans toward Gilda, though nothing is confirmed. DC Studios and Warner Bros. have said nothing about the character.
Her comments land during a rough stretch for the production. Cameras started rolling over the summer, and Reeves stepped away in October for a family matter, pausing filming. Steven Soderbergh joined on Oct. 15 to complete principal photography and assist in post-production, staying in close contact with Reeves. Robert Pattinson, who returns as Batman, praised Soderbergh’s help as selfless. Reeves remains the film’s director.
The movie has slipped repeatedly. It first targeted Oct. 2, 2026, then Oct. 1, 2027, and now opens Feb. 18, 2028. Colin Farrell returns as the Penguin, and Sebastian Stan, Andy Serkis, Jeffrey Wright, Jayme Lawson and Brian Tyree Henry round out the announced cast.
Johansson is no newcomer to comic-book roles after years as Black Widow in Marvel’s films, which makes her admission stand out. Her difficulty may also reflect a deliberate choice, since Reeves’s “The Batman” in 2022 favored a grim, detective-driven take on Gotham over a standard hero story. The studio has not said whether the new film follows the same approach.
