Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson will reunite for the first time since Avengers: Endgame to star in an upcoming Apple TV Plus film titled Project Artemis. Ozark star Jason Bateman looks to direct the film for the streaming platform and will serve as executive producer.
Evans and Johansson have been on different paths since their time with the MCU came to a close. The actor last appeared as Capitan America in Avengers: Endgame and has since been involved with several notable projects. Evans and Apple TV Plus are not strangers to one another, with the actor appearing on the platform's 2020 series Defending Jacob. However, Evans' most notable role came in 2019 as a cast member of the thrilling film Knives Out. His upcoming roles will place him in the suit of the iconic Buzz Lightyear for Disney's Lightyear and reunite him with the Russo Brothers for Netflix's film The Gray Man. Johansson last appeared as Black Widow in the character's titular 2021 film and has since been involved with Sing 2.
Per Deadline, Apple jumped in to claim the Project Artemis film with a massive deal projected to be worth more than $100 million. Of course, the number is enormous, but this is yet another aggressive move the platform has made recently for project acquisitions. Apple spent more than roughly $200 million last year for Matthew Vaughn's Argyle and an untitled F1 racing project, slated to star Brad Pitt. Project Artemis will be the third film for Jason Bateman as director, previously working on 2013's Bad Words and 2015's The Family Fang. Bateman has also been a directing presence behind the Netflix original series Ozark and won a Primetime Emmy in 2017 in the Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series category.
Plot details for the upcoming project are being kept closely behind closed doors, but the story looks to be centered around the space race. Rose Gilroy will construct the screenplay for the film, which will hopefully begin to unveil additional information as development progresses further. Alongside Bateman, Johansson will equally serve as producer with Jonathan Lia and Keenan Flynn. The Black Widow star and her partners will produce the project through their These Pictures production company, while Bateman will produce through his Aggregate Films company. Beyond the casting news of Evans and Johansson, no other announcements have surfaced regarding the new Apple project, but it'll be interesting to see what notable faces join the massive endeavor.
Evans and Johansson have been hoping to team up again for future films, which almost came to fruition with Ghosted. The project was another Apple acquisition, which looked to star Evans and Johansson, but scheduling conflicts prevented the Black Widow star from pursuing the project. Instead, Deep Water star Ana de Armas replaced Johansson for the upcoming film, which is currently filming. Hopefully, the dynamic duo from the Avengers will be able to see this project through to the end to provide themselves and audiences with an on-screen reunion. Johansson has not commented on the news of Project Artemis, but Evans did through a Twitter post and one can assume the momentum behind the project will increase once he finishes the promotional rollout for Disney's Lightyear.
Apple is riding high after the success of CODA at the Academy Awards, which won not only Best Picture but Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay as well. The platform is looking to continue its steady incorporation of solid content, showcasing that it's not afraid to spend the money to acquire highly sought-after material. It's unclear what Project Artemis will eventually turn out to be, but it's exciting to see Evans and Johansson back together again, with Bateman behind the camera bringing the unknown world to life.'
Project Artemis is in development at Apple TV Plus.
Source: Deadline