Unfortunately, a Marvel reunion will not be happening, but aKnives Outone will be. Ana de Armas will now officially replace Scarlett Johansson to star opposite Chris Evans inGhosted, a new romantic action-adventure film forApple TV Plus.
TheApple TV Plusfilmwill be directed by Dexter Fletcher, who helmedRocketmanand finished filmingBohemian Rhapsody, andwill be written byDeadpoolandZombielandwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Evans will produce the film alongside Skydance’s Dave Ellison, who is best known for producing theMission: Impossible Films. De Armas will also serve as executive producer on the project.
RELATED:Scarlett Johansson Opens Up About Disney Lawsuit Over Black Widow
Apple acquiredGhostedthis past summer, and with the intent to get production rolling this upcoming February, Johansson’s schedule, unfortunately, couldn’t make it work. Deadline’s report also indicates that Ellison made a strong push to bring in de Armas, who has become one of Hollywood’s most exciting young stars to look out for. De Armas had her breakout roles inWar DogsandBlade Runner 2049before going on to star in other acclaimed works such asKnives OutandNo Time to Die. The actress is set to star in the upcomingBlonde,Deep Water, and in the Russo Brothers’The Gray Manfor Netflix, alongside Evans and Ryan Gosling.De Armas will also lead theJohn WickspinoffBallerina.
While not too many details have surfaced because the project is very early in development,Ghostedis being compared to other adventure films likeRomancing the Stone, Michael Douglas' and Kathleen Turner’s 1984 box office hit. Having two stars who have now worked on a couple of films together, it’ll be interesting to see how their chemistry translates over to this new film. As for Johansson, the Marvel star will lead Wes Anderson’s next feature,Asteroid City, while also being credited in the voice cast in the upcoming animated film,Sing 2.
Johansson will also team up with Marvel Studios to produce asecret Marvel project unrelated to her Black Widowcharacter. Johansson’s return to Marvel is noteworthy due to the actress filing a lawsuit against Disney in July over an alleged contract breach, asBlack Widowwas released on Disney Plus at the same time it was playing in theaters. Reports later confirmed that the two parties reached an agreement.
WithGhostednow added to their platform, Apple TV Plus continues to impress with its high-budget features, having recently filmed Martin Scorsese’s western crime dramaKillers of the Flower Moon, whichwill star Leonardo DiCaprioand Robert De Niro. The streamer is also now in production onEmancipation, a slave drama starring Will Smith and directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day,Shooter,The Equalizer), and it is also behind Ridley Scott’s upcoming dramaKitbag, starring Joaquin Phoenix as Napolean Bonaparte and Jodie Comer as Josephine.
