After years of waiting, fans have finally gotten the news they've been hoping for: Marvel is moving ahead with a stand-alone Black Widow movie.
According to Variety, screenwriter Jac Schaeffer has been enlisted to work on the project, which will see Scarlett Johansson play the Black Widow (aka Natasha Romanoff) — a role she's brought to the big screen since 2010's Iron Man 2.
Romanoff was first introduced as a Russian spy, but has since defected to the United States, becoming an agent of the spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D and a member of the Avengers, a superhero team.
![Scarlett Johansson will play Black Widow in a standalone film. Photo / Supplied](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/UDP5Z47N36WOVWXSFL7F6YIKSQ.jpg?auth=423d1e21ab0765bf8ac171d5d1af983d65a65dc741b0e226fac3c9276a783966&width=16&height=25&quality=70&smart=true)
The film is still in "very early development," but appointing the scriptwriter is the latest evidence that the movie is still in progress.