How Will Scarlett Johansson’s Pregnancy Affect ‘Avengers 2’?
Congratulations are in order for Scarlett Johansson, who is expecting her first child with fiance Romain Dauriac. (We hope you have a happy, healthy child that will never be bothered by parasitic paparazzi with no respect for your privacy.) However, with basic human decency out of the way, one of the biggest questions on the minds of Marvel fans is, how will this joyous news affect production on 'The Avengers 2,' set to begin later this year?
Johansson, who is about to really jump into the publicity tour for 'Captain America 2,' was set to begin filming 'The Avengers 2' in early April, and director Joss Whedon made public his plans to include her Black Widow character in a major way. But as the actress' pregnancy will inevitably hinder her stunt work, will her part be -- to the dismay of fans pining for more Black Widow -- be reduced?
If insensitive geeks like us are already wondering how the film will handle Johansson's pregnancy, you can be sure that Marvel has already thought about how to best handle it. The solution is simple: shoot her scenes first. Seriously. No last-minute rewrites to impregnate Black Widow with an alien baby. No plan to CGI her figure back to super-spy-appropriate shape. According to E!, the studio is planning on fast tracking Johansson's scenes, with the actress set to begin filming as soon as she's done promoting 'Captain America 2,' and to get her wrapped (or as close to wrapped) before she has to start taking major steps to ensure her pregnancy. Huh. That's practical and simple and drama free! Everyone wins.
'The Avengers 2' (officially titled 'The Avengers: Age of Ultron') is set to open on May 1, 2015.