Scarlett Johansson Says Her Secret Batman Role Brought ‘Existential Angst’ Ahead of 2028 Release

Scarlett Johansson has admitted that her still-unrevealed part in The Batman: Part II left her wrestling with “a lot of existential angst,” offering a rare glimpse into a production that has otherwise stayed tightly under wraps.

The actress made the remarks in an Entertainment Tonight interview, published Wednesday, while promoting her new film Paper Tiger. Asked which of her upcoming franchise roles, in The Exorcist: Martyrs or the Batman sequel, pushed her furthest out of her comfort zone, she picked Gotham.

“Hard to crack”: what Johansson actually said

“Probably the role in The Batman, because it gave me a lot of existential angst, for some reason,” she said. She added that it was “very hard to figure out,” and that she could not say whether the difficulty came from the character itself or from “where I am in my life.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, she also called it “a tough role in a lot of ways.” Beyond that, she kept her answer short: “That’s all I can say about it.”

That reticence is consistent with how the project has been handled. Director Matt Reeves confirmed in May that Johansson had joined the cast, but the character has never been officially named.

The guessing game around her character

Speculation has filled the gap. IGN notes that rumours have linked her to either Gilda Dent or Poison Ivy. The Independent reports that she is expected to play Gilda Dent, which would put her opposite Sebastian Stan’s Harvey Dent. Neither outlet presents the casting as confirmed, and Johansson’s comments do not settle the question.

Her description is notable in its own right. The sequel is her first DC project after years as Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A role that left her with existential angst is a long way from the familiar franchise territory she knows. Robert Pattinson, returning as Bruce Wayne, has also teased that the film shows “an understanding of Bruce Wayne and Batman’s psychology” he doesn’t think has been seen before. That suggests a psychologically heavy tone.

A production with a few bumps

The interview lands amid an unusual stretch for the film. Production briefly paused in October when Reeves stepped away to deal with a family matter, according to DC Studios. Later that month, Steven Soderbergh stepped in, with the studio’s support, to help finish the final stretch of principal photography. IGN reports that filming has resumed in the UK and that Reeves is expected to take back the director’s chair once the film reaches post-production.

Other additions to the cast include Charles Dance, Brian Tyree Henry and Sebastian Koch. Despite the disruption, The Batman: Part II is still scheduled to reach cinemas on 18 February 2028.

For now, Johansson’s comments give fans one concrete clue: whoever she plays, the part demanded more of her than she expected. Whether that existential angst translates into a standout performance will not be clear until the film arrives.

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File photo: Scarlett Johansson-8588.jpg by Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.