Scarlett Johansson’s Rumored New Role Would Be Her MCU Replacement 5 Years After Black Widow’s Death

Scarlett Johansson has been without the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a few years now, but a new rumored role gives her a Black Widow replacement. The A-list actress became a much bigger star over the course of the 2010s after joining the MCU to play Black Widow. However, her memorable run as the character came to an end in 2021, with Black Widow acting as a final swan song for Johansson’s portrayal after Black Widow’s death in Avengers: Endgame. Her MCU exit left Johansson with a chance to explore other opportunities and without any major franchises.

Scarlett Johansson’s movies after leaving the MCU have almost all been films that pair her with great directors and could possibly earn her awards recognition. This included the double-pairing of Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit and Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story in 2019, as well as working with Wes Anderson on 2023’s Asteroid City. She’s mixed in other smaller independent films and an animated sequel, Sing 2, during the same stretch. But, none of these projects, nor any of her upcoming titles, gave her a suitable MCU replacement until now. That’s because reports state Scarlett Johansson will headline Jurassic World 4‘s cast.

Jurassic World 4 Gives Scarlett Johansson A New Major Blockbuster Franchise After MCU Exit

The rumored role for Scarlett Johansson in Jurassic World 4 finally means she has found an MCU replacement franchise. Although there was optimism at one point that Johansson could return for another movie, the solo film’s moderate performance and the Black Widow lawsuit between Johansson and Disney made that appear less likely. And even as speculation swirls that she could play Black Widow again through the multiverse in an upcoming Avengers movie, that possibility would certainly not bring her a recurring role in a major franchise like the MCU did previously.

Jurassic World 4 can now be the movie that gives Scarlett Johansson a new massive franchise. She’s searched for other franchise opportunities even before Black Widow’s death, but finding one after her MCU exit became much more important. There are plenty of major IPs that Johansson could have joined, but Jurassic World 4 is one of the safer bets. The Jurassic World movies are routinely massive hits at the box office, and now she is positioned to be the new franchise lead, replacing Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.

The Jurassic Franchise Could Be Even Bigger For Scarlett Johansson Than The MCU

The potentially great part of joining Jurassic World 4 for Scarlett Johansson is it could be a much bigger opportunity for her. The Jurrasic franchise’s box office pales in comparison to the MCU’s total box office, but so does practically every other franchise. The promising part for Johansson is that she immediately steps into Jurassic World 4 as the lead character. She spent the first several years of her MCU run as a secondary lead, only truly getting first billing with Black Widow 11 years after playing Natasha Romanoff. That also meant waiting for a massive payday.

Thanks to the experience and box office pedigree Johansson carries from the MCU, Jurassic World 4 should be a very lucrative experience for her. The reported $20 million salary she had on Black Widow will likely be matched with the new Jurassic World movie, and it could be carried over to any sequels that she returns for. If she negotiates any box office bonuses too, the fact that the previous three Jurassic World films all made over $1 billion means her earnings and star power should grow. If that happens, Scarlett Johansson will not need an MCU return anytime soon.