Black Widow Movie Packs a Big Punch According to Scarlett Johansson

The Black Widow movie is more than up to the task of opening the Hollywood blockbuster seasons according to star Scarlett Johansson. The film opens in the first weekend of May, which is usually reserved for male-fronted action flicks that are expected to set the pace for the rest of the summer. Johansson thinks Black Widow will fill that spot well.

"The movie packs a big punch," Johansson tells The Hollywood Reporter in a new profile piece. She goes on to say, "If that slot is reserved for movies that pack a big punch, then we're in a good, good space."

Johansson also commented on having executive producer powers over the new film, saying it "is liberating in a way. I feel like I'm in control of the destiny of this film, which gives me a lot more peace of mind. I know her better than anybody. What was her childhood like? What is her relationship to figures of authority? This character is gritty and multi-dimensional but has a lot of trauma and has led an unexamined life. In order to operate at this elite level, she has probably had to push away a lot of stuff."

Black Widow is directed by Cate Shortland. The film stars Johansson returning as Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow, David Harbour as Alexei aka The Red Guardian, Florence Pugh as Yelena, O-T Fagbenle as Mason, and Rachel Weisz as Melina.

The film takes place after the events of Captain America: Civil War. That may seem to some like an odd choice for the first film in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has asked fans to trust him on this.

"There's a method to the madness," Feige said in June. "There's always a method and doing things in an unexpected way is something we find fun. There are ways to do prequels that are less informative or answer questions you didn't necessarily have, and then there are ways to do prequels where you learn all sorts of things you never knew before."

Are you excited about Black Widow? Let us know in the comments. Black Widow opens in theaters on May 1, 2020.

Other upcoming Marvel Studios projects include The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in fall 2020, The Eternals on November 6, 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, WandaVision in spring 2021, Loki in spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, What If? In summer 2021, Hawkeye in fall 2021, and Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021.