Scarlett Johansson will play a real-life woman who posed as a male massage parlor owner with mafia ties in the upcoming film “Rub & Tug,” representatives for New Regency told TheWrap on Monday.
Johansson, whose past credits include “Lost in Translation” and “Her,” is set to partner with “Ghost in the Shell” director Rupert Sanders on the project, which is based on the real-life story of Dante “Tex” Gill.
Gill gained notoriety in Pittsburgh in the 1970s and ’80s for running a number of mafia-protected massage parlors in the city, where she drew attention for her adoption of male hairstyles and clothing, as well as her relationship to Cynthia Bruno. Gill was eventually convicted of tax evasion in 1984 and spent seven years in prison. She died in 2003.
The role could easily put her front and center during award season. Glenn Close and Barbra Streisand both earned numerous awards nominations for playing women posing as men in “Albert Nobbs” (2011) and “Yentl” (1983), respectively.
Johansson is one of the highest-grossing actress in North America and has won accolades for past projects, including Golden Globe nominations for “Lost in Translation,” “Girl With a Pearl Earring,” “A Love Song for Bobby Long” and “Match Point,” along with a Tony Award for “A View From the Bridge.”
New Regency outbid five other suitors in an auction to win the rights for the project. The script was written by Gary Spinelli, best known for “Stash House” and “American Made.” The film will be produced by Johansson, Spinelli, Joel Silver, Tobey Maguire, Matthew Plouffe and Jonathan Lia.
“Rub & Tug” is expected to start filming in February 2019.
Trey Williams contributed to this report.
The Evolution of Scarlett Johansson: From 'Ghost World' to Super Smart Girl (Photos)
Scarlett Ingrid Johansson was born in New York City on November 22, 1984. She made her acting debut at age 10 in the adventure-comedy "North" (1994), alongside Elijah Wood.
Columbia Pictures
Johansson's mother took her to all of her auditions as a child, and she quickly found her niche in film. Her first leading role came in 1996 when she played Amanda, one of the title characters in "Manny & Lo."
Sony Classics
By the release of "Home Alone 3" (1997), the third film of the franchise, Johansson hit her stride as a legitimate -- and adorable -- child star.
Fox
Johansson's endearing personality and serious acting chops landed her three more films between 1997 and 2000. In 2001, she captured quirky teenage angst in the cult dramedy "Ghost World."
MGM
Ready to move on to more grown-up roles, the 18-year-old Johansson matured in Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation" (2003). Her portrayal of Charlotte, a young and lonely wife, earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.
Focus Features
Johansson has starred in at least two films a year since 2003. It was then that she played Griet, a maid turned assistant and muse for Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth) in "The Girl With the Pearl Earring."
Lionsgate
Johansson took on "A Love Song for Bobby Long" (2004), a dark drama set in New Orleans, alongside John Travolta. Her portrayal of Pursy Will, a young woman returning to her childhood home after the death of her mother, earned Johansson another Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.
Lionsgate
How dismal can a movie about tennis really be? When Woody Allen directs, you can bet it won't be very happy-go-lucky. "Match Point" (2004) was Johansson's first film with Allen, where she played Nola, a femme-fatale who has an affair with her boyfriend's brother-in-law, a former tennis pro (played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers).
DreamWorks
Johansson took a slight turn from dramas and lighthearted comedies with the Michael Bay-directed, dystopian action film "The Island" (2005). Set in the not-so-distant future, Johansson and Ewan McGregor escape from their utopian society (creatively named The Island), when they discover it's actually a farm of clones kept alive to harvest their organs.
DreamWorks
The fascination with the Black Dahlia murder resurfaced with the 2006 mystery thriller, "The Black Dahlia." Johansson played Kay Lake, a film noir vixen and girlfriend to a detective (Aaron Eckhart) obsessed with solving the case.
Universal Pictures
Johansson's acting range was highlighted in "The Nanny Diaries" (2007), where her role as Jersey girl Annie Braddock let audiences everywhere laugh at the bizarre (and only slightly fictional) world of nannies in New York City.
MGM
In 2008, Johansson took a break from film and spent a month in Louisiana recording her first album, "Anywhere I Lay My Head." The album featured one original song and Tom Waits covers, and featured members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and David Bowie. She later went on to release another album with Pete Yorn, and lent her voice to many movie soundtracks.
Atco Records
"Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (2008) was Johansson's third film with Woody Allen. She plays Cristina, who finds herself caught in a love triangle with an artist (Javier Bardem) and his ex-wife (Penélope Cruz) while vacationing in Barcelona.
MGM
Johansson became the face of Dolce & Gabbana's make-up line in 2009, and has worked on dozens of make-up and fragrance campaigns since, including this D&G perfume ad from 2013.
Dolce & Gabbana
"He's Just Not That Into You" (2009) had an all-star cast of Jennifer Aniston, Bradley Cooper, Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore and Johansson. She played Anna, a yoga instructor and the love interest of Kevin Connolly and Cooper.
Warner Bros.
Johansson didn't need to prove herself on a Broadway stage, but she did anyway. Her Broadway debut came with the 2010 revival of an Arthur Miller play, "A View from the Bridge," earning Johansson the respect of Broadway geeks everywhere. More importantly, she won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play that year.
Getty Images
Marvel's "Iron Man 2" (2010) introduced the world to Natalie Rushman/Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. "the Black Widow." Johansson, now a full-fledged star, donned a skintight leather suit and dyed her hair a fiery red to play the undercover spy.
Paramount
Johansson reprised her role as Natasha Romanoff/"Black Widow" in "The Avenger's" (2012), this time as one of the superheroes recruited to stop evil forces from taking over the Earth.
Buena Vista
"Don Jon" (2013) was Joseph Gordon Levitt's directorial debut, and the debut of Johansson's New Jersey accent. Johansson plays Barbara, Jon's (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) gum-smacking, smooth-talking love interest in the porn-heavy romantic comedy.
Relativity
Joaquin Phoenix got to experience a virtual Johansson in Spike Jonze's "Her" (2013), where she voiced Phoenix's updated OS (think Siri). Artificial love never sounded so appealing.
Warner Bros.
Johansson played an alien seductress in "Under the Skin" (2014), a bizarre sci-fi thriller in which she roams around Scotland preying on men, luring them into her house with a sexy striptease ... and then she kills them. The film is odd, sexy and downright creepy, and only Johansson can pull it off.
A24
Johansson plays Molly, a hostess in Carl's (Jon Favreau) Los Angeles restaurant in the comedy, "Chef" (2014), directed by Jon Favreau.
Open Road Films
The hits just keep on coming -- literally. Johansson packs a huge punch as the title character in the brand new action thriller, "Lucy," in theaters July 25th. Lucy, forced to be a drug mule, discovers the drugs surgically embedded inside her have leaked into her system. The drugs cause her to evolve into a superhuman, and we can't wait to watch her kick ass.
Universal Pictures
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The New Yorker got her big break at only 10 years-old, and is now a butt-kicking, box office superstar in “Lucy”
Scarlett Ingrid Johansson was born in New York City on November 22, 1984. She made her acting debut at age 10 in the adventure-comedy "North" (1994), alongside Elijah Wood.
Columbia Pictures
Sony Classics
