Scarlett Johansson Says ‘The Batman 2’ Was More Challenging Than Her ‘Exorcist’ Movie

Scarlett Johansson has had a busy stretch of genre filmmaking. She stars in Mike Flanagan’s take on ‘The Exorcist’, reported under the possible title ‘Exorcist: Martyrs’, which Universal has set for release in March 2027, with Jacobi Jupe also in the cast.

She has also stepped into Gotham for Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman Part II’, one of the most closely guarded superhero sequels in development. Johansson joined Robert Pattinson in the sequel as part of a major round of new casting announced earlier this year.

Now Johansson is opening up about how demanding that Gotham role turned out to be. According to Variety, she said ‘The Batman Part II’ pushed her further out of her comfort zone than her ‘Exorcist’ film did.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Johansson said the role gave her a lot of existential angst for reasons she couldn’t quite pin down. She explained that it was very hard to figure out, and that she wasn’t sure whether that came from the role itself or from where she is in her life.

Johansson kept her comments brief, saying the part was simply hard to crack and that she couldn’t say more. She also described it as a tough role in a lot of ways. These were her first public comments about joining the film. Her measured answers fit the secrecy surrounding Reeves’ sequel.

Scarlett Johansson teases her role in ‘THE BATMAN PART 2’: “It gave me a lot of existential angst for some reason. It was very hard to figure out… It was a tough role.” (Via Entertainment Tonight) https://t.co/MMrlemSEf1

— DC Film News (@DCFilmNews) November 4, 2026

Johansson’s character has been one of the film’s biggest mysteries. Yahoo Movies UK reports that she plays Gilda Dent, while Sebastian Stan has been cast as Harvey Dent. Charles Dance has reportedly been cast as Charles Dent, Harvey’s father, according to Hypebeast. Together, the casting points to the Dent family playing a central role in the sequel’s story.

Robert Pattinson returns as Batman, alongside Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Wright, Andy Serkis and Jayme Lawson from the first film. New additions also include Brian Tyree Henry and Sebastian Koch, along with Gil Perez-Abraham as Officer Martinez.

Darkness must be hunted. Mike Flanagan’s The Exorcist: Martyrs only in theaters March 12. https://t.co/EPdvByESPK

— The Exorcist Martyrs (@exorcistmartyrs) October 9, 2026

Reeves directs and co-wrote the screenplay with Mattson Tomlin. Pattinson has told Collider that the sequel is a real left turn from the first film. The sequel has faced several schedule changes. It was first set for October 2026 and later moved to October 2027.

Warner Bros. has since pushed it to February 18, 2028, revealing the change in July alongside the first camera test footage of Pattinson as Batman. That date gives fans a long wait before they see Johansson’s mysterious role.

Before her Gotham debut, audiences will see Johansson in Flanagan’s ‘Exorcist’ film. The project marks a new chapter for one of horror’s most famous franchises, with Flanagan at the helm.

First look at Robert Pattinson as Batman in ‘The Batman Part 2’ https://t.co/IF94iZAYd0

— DiscussingPulse (@DiscussingPulse) July 16, 2026

Johansson’s comments suggest ‘The Batman Part II’ was her bigger creative challenge, even next to a possession horror film. That makes her role one of the more intriguing mysteries heading into the sequel’s release.

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