Scarlett Johansson in Final Talks for The Batman 2 and Gotham Just Got Interesting

After nearly a decade jump kicking aliens, robots, and the occasional Avenger as Black Widow, Scarlett Johansson might be trading the MCU's red ledger for Gotham's trademark gloom. According to Deadline, she is in final negotiations to join The Batman Part II, which already has Robert Pattinson returning as the world's most brooding billionaire. If this deal closes, we are looking at one of the most fascinating casting shifts in recent comic book movie history. Marvel to DC is not new, but Marvel hero to Gotham villain? That is an energy shift you can feel through the cowl.

Plot details for The Batman 2 are locked down tighter than the Wayne family trauma vault, so nobody knows who she might be playing. Poison Ivy? Hugo Strange gender swap? Someone completely new? A deep cut villain that only five people on Reddit can identify? Director Matt Reeves is writing and directing again, so expect something grounded, stylish, moody, and slightly damp because it is Gotham and it is always raining.

Johansson's schedule is also stacked for 2026. She is starring in a new Exorcist film with Mike Flanagan, she helped relaunch Jurassic World, she made her directorial debut, and she has another drama releasing soon. Somehow, her team managed to carve out a window big enough for a Bat sequel, which honestly feels like a superpower at this point.

Production on The Batman Part II starts this spring, with a planned release date of October 1, 2027. Until then, we wait. And speculate. And tell ourselves we are not getting our hopes up even though we absolutely are.