Famous movie actress Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow, Marriage Story) is set to star in her first major role on television, according to Deadline. Just Cause will be a thriller limited series based on the novel of the same name written by John Katzenbach (In the Heat of the Summer, Hart’s War) in 1992. The American actress will also work as an executive producer on the show.
According to Deadline, the show from writer Christy Hall (I Am Not Okay with This), Johansson’s banner These Pictures and Warner Bros. TV, is set to be produced by Amazon Studios with a straight-to-series order on Prime Video after a competitive situation.
In the TV adaptation, the male protagonist Matt Cowart, a Miami newspaper editorial writer, will undergo a gender swap. The new series will star Johansson as the main character Madison Cowart, a struggling reporter from a Florida newspaper who has been assigned to cover the final days of an inmate on death row.
The novel Just Cause had a movie adaptation in 1995 which was directed by Arne Glimcher (The Mambo Kings, The White River Kid) and starred Sean Connery (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Dr. No) as Matt. The film’s cast also included Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, Black-ish), Kate Capshaw (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Dreamscape), Ruby Dee (American Gangster, Do the Right Thing), Ed Harris (Westworld, Top Gun: Maverick), and Scarlett Johansson.
According to Deadline, after starring in the original adaptation, Johansson has a personal connection to the material. In the movie, she starred as the daughter of the main character. At the age of ten, this was Johansson’s second film role.
Writer Hall also executive produces the limited series alongside Johansson, Jonathan Lia (Game Change Game, Lemonade), and Keenan Flynn (Lemonade, The Followers) from These Pictures. The head of television for These Pictures, Zara Duffy (Theodore Roosevelt, The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness), is overseeing this TV series for the company.
Johansson’s TV career can be summed up as her six hosting appearances on the comedy show Saturday Night Live and additional appearances as Ivanka Trump on the show. Her other TV credit is for a recurring voiceover role on the series Robot Chicken. Just Cause will be her first major role in television.
Just Cause is still in pre-production but don’t miss Scarlett Johansson in Wes Anderson’s new film Asteroid City.