Scarlett Johansson has revealed that her role in Robert Pattinson’s upcoming Batman sequel caused her “a lot of existential angst.”
The actor, whose character in The Batman: Part II remains under wraps, has spoken about the role for the first time, telling Entertainment Tonight that she found it “very hard to figure out.”
Johansson added, “I don’t know why, whether it was just the role or was just where I’m in my life, or what’s going on, but it was just hard to crack it. And that’s all I can say about it. It was a tough role in a lot of ways.”
Director Matt Reeves confirmed in May that Johansson would appear in the sequel, which stars Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman. He also announced that Marvel star Sebastian Stan and Atlanta‘s Brian Tyree Henry would be joining the DC franchise in undisclosed roles.
This article contains possible casting spoilers for The Batman: Part II.
Johansson’s comments come amid renewed speculation about which villains could appear in the film. On Sunday, a now-deleted behind-the-scenes Instagram post showing the creation of Heidi Klum’s Halloween costume appeared to reveal possible clues.
Eagle-eyed fans spotted details in what is reportedly the workspace of special effects makeup artist Mike Marino, who created Klum’s costume and previously worked on 2022’s The Batman and its HBO spinoff, The Penguin.
Among them was a facial cast that fans said resembled Henry, but with a disfigured lip. Some connected it to Two-Face, a Batman villain who was once Gotham City’s district attorney, Harvey Dent, before an attack left half his face disfigured.
The image also showed a box labeled “Zsasz.” Victor Zsasz is the name of a serial killer from the comics who carves tally marks into his skin for each person he kills.
In June, entertainment journalist Jeff Sneider reported that Stan would play Zsasz in The Batman: Part II, while Henry would portray Harvey Dent/Two-Face. However, Variety said in May that Stan was “set to play” Dent. The casting claims remain unverified.
Another box was labeled “Owl 3,” which fans have speculated could refer to the Court of Owls, a secret society that influences Gotham City in DC Comics.
Marino confirmed his involvement in The Batman: Part II in an October interview with W magazine, adding to speculation that the objects could be connected to the sequel. “To be honest, I’m a comic book nerd, so the fact that I’m working on [The Batman: Part II] is a dream scenario,” he said. “We’re doing some really cool makeup in this new movie, so that’s the dream right there.”
However, none of the apparent clues have been confirmed to belong to the new movie, and there is no indication that the objects were deliberately included in the Halloween post as hints about it. Yahoo contacted Marino for comment.
Stan told the Happy Sad Confused podcast in an episode released in October that the movie is “going to be great,” adding, “This is definitely, for me, feeling like something very different than I’ve gotten to do. And that’s what I love, and I’m excited about.”
The Batman: Part II is scheduled to hit theaters on Feb. 18, 2028. It was originally due for release in October 2025 but was delayed.
Production was temporarily halted last month as Reeves stepped away for personal reasons. Ocean’s Eleven director Steven Soderbergh was hired to help finish filming. The original movie was released in March 2022 to generally positive reviews.
