Black Widow film: Florence Pugh joins Scarlett Johansson in standalone Marvel movie

Fighting with My Family and Lady Macbeth actor Florence Pugh has joined the cast of Black Widow.

She will star opposite Scarlett Johansson, who has played the Marvel superhero for almost 10 years.

Australian filmmaker Cate Shortland, best known for Nazi drama Lore, will direct the project, which begins filming this June in London.

The Hollywood Reporter notes that, while few plot details regarding the film are currently known, the story will take Johansson's Natasha Romanoff around the world.

Pugh will play a spy on the same level as Romanoff, but "likely a moral opposite".

Jac Schaeffer, who helped script Captain Marvel, has penned the script. She will also act as showrunner on the upcoming Disney+ show The Vision and Scarlet Witch.

Whether Black Widow will act as a prequel or a sequel to Avengers: Endgame remains unclear. Marvel likely will not confirm either way until after Endgame has debuted in cinemas on 25 April.