Black Widow movie lands director Cate Shortland

Scarlett Johansson will star in the superhero's first solo outing

Ever sine Black Widow first appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, during Iron Man 2, fans have been calling for producer Kevin Feige to green-light a movie centred on the heroin.

After years of deliberating, a movie based on Scarlett Johansson’s character has finally begun moving forward, The Hollywood Reporter announcing that Cate Shortland has come on board as director. Previous reports indicated that over 70 directors met Marvel about the job, eventually selecting the Lore helmer.

A female filmmaker was apparently a priority, Shortland becoming only the second woman to direct a modern Marvel instalment, following Anna Boden, who co-directed next year’s Captain Marvel with Ryan Fleck.

Johansson was reportedly a huge supporter of Shortland getting the position due to her treatment of the female lead in Nazi drama Lore, fending off competition from fellow finalists Amma Asante (Belle, A United Kingdom) and Maggie Betts (Novitiate).

Jac Schaeffer (Timer) has written the current draft of the script. She has also written the upcoming female-centric, Anne Hathaway-starring Dirty Rotten Scoundrels remake The Hustle.

While little is currently known about Black Widow, the movie is said to take place before the events of the first Avengers... Which means there’s still a chance the Russian spy may not survive Avengers 4... A release date for Black Widow remains unknown.