Scarlett Johansson has signed on to star in the upcoming war drama, Jojo Rabbit.
The film will be set in World War II and it is about a young German boy who discovers that his mother (Johansson), is sheltering a Jewish girl in their home. The film will be directed by Taika Waititi, the director of Thor: Ragnarok. After finishing the successful Marvel film, Waititi was offered other movies to direct, but he made it clear that this would be his next project. Waititi penned the script alongside Carthew Neal and Chelsea Winstanley. Neal is best known for producing The Breaker Upperers, while Winstanley was a producer in What We Do In The Shadows.
While busy filming his What We Do In The Shadows pilot, Waititi met with Johansson previously to talk about her role in the film. Now that the actress has been recruited, Waititi will now be searching for an actor to portray the young German boy.
Jojo Rabbit will mark a change of pace for Johanson as she has primarily been featured in action and comedies in the last couple of years. Last year, Johansson played the hardcore cyber-enhanced soldier, Major, in Ghost in the Shell. She also was featured in the Sony comedy, Rough Night. Her next film will see her reprise her role as the deadly assassin Black Widow, in Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War.
Production of Jojo Rabbit is expected to start this spring.
