It's Official: Scarlett Johansson Is Joining Another Legendary Franchise

The MCU is one of the most successful film franchises in history. Its films have made buttloads of money. It helped turn some unknown actors into huge stars. The universe has extended from film to television, both successfully and unsuccessfully. It has run the gamut of what can be accomplished as a franchise. Scarlett Johansson was a part of it from almost the beginning.

Johansson played Natasha Romanoff, AKA Black Widow, starting with Iron Man 2. She appeared in several Avengers films and received a solo movie. Her character has become immensely popular, extending to her comic counterpart. Johansson was already a star when she joined the MCU, but it did help raise her profile. She would eventually leave the Marvel world (though never say never to a comeback), but now she’s jumping into another big franchise.

Jurassic Park didn’t have humble beginnings. The film was directed by one of the most successful filmmakers ever. It featured a knockout cast. Its box office mojo was undeniable. However, even when the second and third sequels were released years later, it never felt like it would be this big thing that would keep going (at least not to me). Then, the Jurassic World movies were released.

The franchise was taken in a (mostly) new direction, bringing dinosaurs further into the real world. Then dealing with giant wasps, I think? Regardless, it isn’t stopping at a trilogy. Jurassic World 4 is on its way. The script is being written by Jurassic Park scribe, David Koepp, and Gareth Edwards will be helming the film. Scarlett Johansson, when speaking with Comicbook.com, confirmed that she will star in it.

“Everything,” Johansson exclaimed when asked what brought her to the franchise. “I’m an enormous Jurassic Park fan. It’s one of the first films I remember seeing in the theater. I remember seeing it so vividly. It was like life-changing. It was mind-blowing. I cannot express how excited I am.” She also expressed excitement for Koepp’s return, saying, “The script is so incredible. David Koepp wrote it. He returned after like 30 years to write the script. He’s so passionate about it, which is so awesome.”

The actor is not hiding her excitement for the movies, which is a bit infectious. “I’m such an enormous fan of the franchise and huge nerd for it. I’m just like, I can’t even, I’m pinching myself,” she added. “I’ve been trying to get into this franchise in any possible way for over 10 years. I’m like, ‘I’ll die in the first five minutes! I can get eaten by whatever! I’ll do the craft service!’ I’ll do anything for it. The fact that it’s happened in this way at this time just is actually unbelievable. I can’t believe it.”

Jurassic World 4 is filming now, with a release date set for next July. We’ll have to wait and see how the film shakes out, but we’ll likely get updates sooner rather than later.