Scarlett Johansson Scores New Role In Spike Jonze’s ‘Her’

Looks to be a great year for Scarlett Johansson. Earlier it was announced that Johansson was joining Spike Jonze’s film Her, and she is, but it’s not what we originally thought. Instead of being a supporting cast member, now we’re learning that Johansson is actually replacing lead actress Samantha Morton.

As reported by Vulture, Johansson has stepped up to the plate to replace actress Samantha Morton in the lead role. So why did Morton need to be replaced? Apparently the choice to replace Morton happened after filming had wrapped on the project, which sounds like a nightmare of a situation for production, though that’s just an assumption on our part.

Once the news hit, director Spike Jonze (Where The Wild Things Are) explained his decision about deciding to rid the film of Morton:

“Samantha was with us on set and was amazing. It was only in post-production, when we started editing, that we realized that what the character/movie needed was different from what Samantha and I had created together. So we recast and since then Scarlett has taken over that role.”

Oddly enough Johansson won’t be seen on the big screen in this role. It is said that she’s taking over Morton’s voice role. Her role is significant because it’s the woman Joaquin Phoenix’s character falls for.

The synopsis for Her reads as follows:

“Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix), a lonely writer, purchases a newly developed operating system designed to grant the user’s every command. To Theodore’s surprise, a romantic relationship develops between himself and the operating system.”

Unlike some recent departures from much larger films, Spike Jonze is said to have taken major responsibility for Samantha Morton’s exit, having said the post-production is, “not-quite-painless-for-everyone-involved ‘process.’ That said he hopes to get to work with Samantha Morton again, as this was their first project together.

Are you excited to hear Scarlett Johansson in Her?