Scarlett Johansson Will Play German Mom Who Saves Jew From Nazis
(JTA) — Scarlett Johansson is in final negotiations to star in a film where she would portray a German mother who is hiding a Jewish girl in her home from the Nazis during the Holocaust.
Variety reported Thursday that Fox Searchlight’s film titled “Jojo Rabbit” is a follow-up to the action comedy “Thor: Ragnarok,” and centers on a young German boy who finds out about his mother’s heroism.
Johansson, who is Jewish, is now on board and the character of the son still needs to be cast.
Taika Waititi penned the script and will produce alongside Carthew Neal and Chelsea Winstanley. Production is expected to start this spring, Variety reported.
In Europe, the issue of rescue of Jews by non-Jews during the Holocaust is controversial. In Eastern Europe especially, government-led projects meant to highlight the actions of relatively few local rescuers has been criticized as designed to prevent an open discussion about the actions of countless thousands who collaborated with the German Nazis in the wholesale murder of Jews.
The film would mark a change of pace for Johansson, who has been focused on action and comedy movies, including last year’s “Ghost in the Shell” and the Sony comedy “Rough Night.”
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
