Scarlett Johansson has had quite a bit of time to think about a B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� movie. After all, sheB次元官网网址檚 played the character in seven movies spanning 10 years.

Yet unlike many of her fellow Avengers who got grand introductions in movies and sequels bearing their names on the marquee, she built the enigmatic Natasha Romanoff as a sideline scene stealer beginning with her introduction in 2010B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淚ron Man 2B次元官网网址� through her exit in B次元官网网址淎vengers: Endgame.B次元官网网址�

By the time her name was called for a coveted standalone, she knew that, above all, she wanted Black WidowB次元官网网址檚 film to be unexpected. And as the first lead actor to serve as a producer on a Marvel film, she actually had a say.

The character, introduced in the comics in 1964, is inextricably tied to a Soviet-era spy aesthetic fitting of James Bond. But that seemed like the easy route.

B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 want it to be an espionage film,B次元官网网址� Johansson said. B次元官网网址淚 think we avoided that.B次元官网网址�

Instead, B次元官网网址淏lack WidowB次元官网网址� helps peel back the layers on a hard-to-grasp character, with a little bit of an origin story, a little bit of a coda and the introduction of people outside of the Avengers who mean something to her. Johansson also personally recruited Australian indie director Cate Shortland, another unexpected and inspired choice, to helm.

Marvel veteran Eric Pearson had the task of writing the script and took advantage of the fact that the character seemed to change and become more emotionally vulnerable between B次元官网网址淐ivil WarB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淚nfinity WarB次元官网网址�/B次元官网网址滶ndgame,B次元官网网址� which is when B次元官网网址淏lack WidowB次元官网网址� is set.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e looking at what happened there,B次元官网网址� Pearson said. B次元官网网址淲hat happened when she went back and confronted her past that unlocked her heart and kind of opened her up to the world and eventually led her to make that all-time sacrifice at the end of B次元官网网址楨ndgame.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

Part of that involved introducing a sort-of sister character in Yelena Belova, played as an adult by Florence Pugh, who also had the traumatic experience of being trained in the B次元官网网址淩ed RoomB次元官网网址� as a child.

B次元官网网址淔lorence is so vibrant and interesting to watch that you think, B次元官网网址極KB次元官网网址� thereB次元官网网址檚 going to be life here,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Johansson said.

Despite not really knowing one another beforehand, they quickly connected on set, partly due to a natural chemistry between the two and partly due to the extreme nature of filming a big budget action thriller.

B次元官网网址淥ur Day One was me throwing her against a cabinet and we both had our hands in each otherB次元官网网址檚 armpits. And it was in that moment that I was like, B次元官网网址極h, my God, I have a sweaty armpit. And Scarlett Johansson is touching me,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Pugh said. B次元官网网址淥nce that ice is broken, you know, best mates. Weird first day, though, to start with.B次元官网网址�

It was a fittingly epic endeavor, shooting over 87 days in London, Norway, Budapest, Morocco and Atlanta, with showstopping fights, motorcycle stunts, car chases and even a skydiving sequence. For Pugh, who is more known for slightly less spectacle driven films like B次元官网网址淢idsommarB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淟ittle Women,B次元官网网址� it was an eye-opening experience.

B次元官网网址淚t was just so impressive to see so many departments doing so many things. And you were completely involved into the process and the creating of it. And I just really appreciated how much you were expected to be there for the whole journey,B次元官网网址� Pugh said. B次元官网网址淚t only made then waiting and watching the film a year later just even more exciting because youB次元官网网址檙e like, B次元官网网址極h, my God, that took so many days to shoot and there we are flying through the air on a bike.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淏lack WidowB次元官网网址� has the distinction of being the first Marvel movie debuting day-and-date on a streaming platform, after being delayed over a year due to the pandemic. Like a handful of Disney releases over the past year, itB次元官网网址檒l be available Friday in theaters globally and to rent on Disney+ for $30.

The film isnB次元官网网址檛 just a tribute and a goodbye to a beloved character, though. It also kicks off B次元官网网址淧hase FourB次元官网网址� of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after an unplanned two-year gap in Marvel theatrical releases following B次元官网网址淎vengers: EndgameB次元官网网址� (and, technically, B次元官网网址淪pider-Man: Far From Home.B次元官网网址�)

The stakes for big budget Marvel movies are always high, but B次元官网网址淏lack WidowB次元官网网址� will also be a litmus test not just because of the unconventional release strategy, but also as a gauge for audience interest in the cinematic juggernaut going forward.

After the 23-film build to B次元官网网址淓ndgame,B次元官网网址� which currently holds the title of second-highest grossing film of all time after a re-release of B次元官网网址淎vatarB次元官网网址� during the pandemic, Marvel is going into unchartered territory with new characters in films like B次元官网网址淪hang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,B次元官网网址� set for September, and B次元官网网址淓ternalsB次元官网网址� in November. But Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige isnB次元官网网址檛 stressing much about that. This new phase, he said, is one of B次元官网网址渘ew beginningsB次元官网网址� moving forward.

B次元官网网址淲ithin our movies, thereB次元官网网址檚 this big shared experience that all the characters had with this, what we call the blip. Now, in real life, we all, as human beings on earth, have had the shared experience of this pandemic, of this lockdown. So there is an interesting parallel that weB次元官网网址檙e that we were playing on in our stories,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been two years since weB次元官网网址檝e had a film in theaters and we are ready. I hope the fans are ready.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擫indsey Bahr, The Associated Press