Black Widow will not be a standalone Marvel Cinematic Universe film, instead serving as the start of an entire franchise for the character.

The news comes from The New York Times' Kyle Buchanan, who first reported it after hearing Scarlett Johansson speak at the Elle Women in Hollywood dinner.

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"ScarJo notes that the upcoming BLACK WIDOW is the first Marvel movie produced by one of its actors," he wrote. "She also referred to it as a 'standalone franchise' which is interesting if you expected it to be a one-off based on... you know."

Black Widow will be Marvel's second movie headlined by a woman (Captain Marvel) and the third to feature a woman in the title (Captain Marvel and Ant-Man and the Wasp). While very few details have been revealed, it seems that the villain will be Taskmaster.

The dinner was hosted by Issa Rae (Insecure) and honored many of the stars who are redrawing the lines for women in Hollywood. Scarlett Johansson was not the only MCU star in attendance at the dinner, as Gwyneth Paltrow and Zendaya were also in honored.

Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow stars Scarlett Johansson, David Harbour, Florence Pugh, O-T Fagbenle and Rachel Weisz. The film arrives in theaters on May 1, 2020.

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