Quick summary
- Scarlett Johansson told the Los Angeles Times that some major-studio offers leave her wondering why the film is being made, according to Variety.
- She did not name the projects or the studios involved.
- Her new independent drama “Paper Tiger” opens in select US theatres on 13 November and nationwide on 20 November, USA Today reports.
- She recently wrapped “The Batman 2” and is moving on to Ari Aster’s “Scapegoat” with Jude Law.
Scarlett Johansson says Hollywood studios sometimes send her scripts she cannot see the point of. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times on the press tour for “Paper Tiger”, she described offers that made her question why the film was being made at all, Variety reported on 11 November. The remarks give a clear picture of how the Oscar nominee chooses work now, and they land as her latest drama reaches cinemas.
What Scarlett Johansson said about studio offers
Variety reports that Johansson did not say which offers she had in mind. She has, though, been open in earlier interviews about the roles she lost. Variety points to “Gravity”, which went to Sandra Bullock, and “Iron Man 2”, where Emily Blunt was first cast as Black Widow before scheduling conflicts forced her out.
In a previous Variety interview, Johansson said missing out on those two parts pushed her into a creative crisis. “The work I was being offered felt deeply unfulfilling,” she said, adding that she felt she had been offered “every Marilyn Monroe script ever”.
That history makes the current comment easier to read. Johansson has spent years alternating big-budget studio films with edgier independent work, and Variety notes that her studio output has been dominated by Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her most recent tentpole before this year was 2025’s “Jurassic World Rebirth”.
A busy run of studio and indie work
By Variety’s count, Johansson spent much of this year shooting two studio films back to back. “The Exorcist: Martyrs” is due in theatres on 12 March 2027, and “The Batman 2” is due on 18 February 2028. Her role in the Warner Bros.-backed Batman sequel remains a mystery.
She did offer one hint about it. Johansson told “Entertainment Tonight” earlier this month that the part was hard to figure out, and that she could not say whether the difficulty came from the role or from where she is in her life. It was, she said, “just hard to crack”.
Next comes “Scapegoat”, the new film from “Midsommar” and “Eddington” director Ari Aster. A24 is backing it and Jude Law co-stars. Johansson told the Times she does not yet know exactly what the film is, but called the script intense and unlike anything she had read. Her husband, she said, kept asking what she was reading because she kept exclaiming as she turned the pages.
Inside Paper Tiger
The film at the centre of this press run is “Paper Tiger”, directed by James Gray. Variety says Neon picked it up shortly before its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. USA Today describes it as a slow-burn mob drama about a Jewish family in Queens in 1986.
Johansson plays Hester, married to Irwin (Miles Teller). Adam Driver plays Gary, a crafty ex-cop who pulls Irwin into what he calls a low-risk business deal tied to a canal cleanup and the Russian mafia. The deal goes wrong, and the family is put in danger.
USA Today reports that the story is based on Gray’s own childhood, and that he did not tell the cast just how personal it was. Johansson, 41, said he never told her outright that she was playing his mother, which spared her the burden of that. She drew Hester’s thick Queens accent largely from her maternal grandmother, who was from Brooklyn.
USA Today adds that “Paper Tiger” has two Gotham Awards nominations, for best feature and for Driver’s supporting performance. To celebrate, Johansson offered to host a party on her husband Colin Jost’s decommissioned Staten Island ferry, which he bought with comedian Pete Davidson.
What happens next
“Paper Tiger” reaches select theatres on 13 November and expands nationwide on 20 November. “The Exorcist: Martyrs” follows in March 2027, with “The Batman 2” in February 2028. Aster’s “Scapegoat” is the next film on Johansson’s own schedule, though no release date has been reported.
Readers can follow more coverage on our Celebrities and Movies pages. We also looked earlier at Johansson on Paper Tiger and Ari Aster’s Scapegoat and at her comments on The Batman Part II.
Frequently asked questions
Which studio offers did Scarlett Johansson criticise?
She did not say. According to Variety, she named neither the projects nor the studios, only that some offers made her question why the film was being made.
When is Paper Tiger released?
It opens in select theatres on 13 November and nationwide on 20 November, according to USA Today.
What is Scarlett Johansson working on next?
She is moving on to “Scapegoat”, directed by Ari Aster and backed by A24, with Jude Law co-starring, Variety reports. She also has “The Exorcist: Martyrs” and “The Batman 2” completed and awaiting release.
