Scarlett Johansson to Star in New Take on The Bride of Frankenstein : 'It Is Long Overdue'

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Scarlett Johansson is reimagining an iconic movie monster.

The Avengers star, 35, is set to produce and star in a new movie titled Bride, in which she and director Sebastián Lelio will offer an updated spin on the Bride of Frankenstein character, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Elsa Lanchester played the Bride in the 1935 black-and-white film opposite Boris Karloff's monster.

"It is long overdue for Bride to step out of the shadow of her male counterpart and stand alone," Johansson said in a statement to THR. "Working alongside Rebecca Angelo and Lauren Schuker Blum, Sebastian and I are extremely excited to emancipate this classic anti-heroine and reanimate her story to reflect the change we see today."

The project, a collaboration between Apple and A24, is described, according to the outlet, as: "A woman created to be an ideal wife — the singular obsession of a brilliant entrepreneur — rejects her creator, and is forced to flee her confined existence, confronting a world that sees her as a monster."

"It is on the run that she finds her true identity, her surprising power, and the strength to remake herself as her own creation," the teaser summary added.

Lelio directed A Fantastic Woman, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2017, and he also directed Julianne Moore in 2o18's Gloria Bell.

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Johansson opened up to Parade in April about rejection in the film industry. The Oscar-nominated actress began her career at a young age, picking up small roles as a preteen in films like Home Alone 3 and The Horse Whisperer alongside Robert Redford. “Since a very young age, I’ve been rejected constantly,” she said at the time.

One of the opportunities Johansson almost didn’t get is her now iconic role as Avenger Black Widow in the Marvel films. Emily Blunt was originally set to play the assassin-turned-crime fighter in 2010’s Iron Man 2 but had to leave the project due to scheduling conflicts with a different film.

After a “wonderful” meeting with director Jon Favreau, Johnasson recalled, “I was really excited to work with him, so I said, ‘If this doesn’t work out, I’m an actor for hire, so call me anytime.’”

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“The best call you can receive is after you are rejected for something and then you get it,” Johansson added. “You appreciate it more. I’ve basically made a career out of being second choice.”

Johansson gets her first solo film as Natasha Romanoff in Black Widow, which has postponed its May 1 release date due to the ongoing pandemic. The movie follows Natasha as she revisits her mysterious, painful past and features Marvel newcomers David Harbour, Florence Pugh and Rachel Weisz.

“It’s a film very much about self-forgiveness and accepting decisions that were made for you,” Johansson told Parade. “It’s much deeper than anything we could have done earlier.”