Scarlett Johansson to Lead TV Adaptation of ‘Just Cause’ 27 Years After Appearing in Film
Scarlett Johansson will star in a TV adaptation of the John Katzenbach novel Just Cause at Prime Video, marking her first series regular role. The Marvel alum previously appeared when she was a child in the 1995 film adaptation of the novel with Sean Connery, Laurence Fishburne, Blair Underwood, Ed Harris, Ruby Dee, and Kate Capshaw. It was her second-ever film credit.
The Just Cause limited series was given a straight-to-series order by Prime Video, per Deadline. The story centers on Miami journalist Matt Cowart, who receives a letter from a death row inmate claiming they’re innocent of the murder charge against them. As Cowart investigates the claim, they realize there were much more horrors to the story to be unearthed.
Connery played the main character in the 1995 film, though the character was tweaked to be a lawyer-turned-professor named Paul Armstrong. Johansson played his daughter, Katie Armstrong, in the movie. The new series won’t be a continuation of the film, rather an all new adaptation with Johansson playing the struggling reporter, now named Madison “Madi” Cowart. Cowart will be assigned to cover the inmate’s final days in this version.
Just Cause will be written by Christy Hall, writer and executive producer of Netflix‘s I Am Not Okay With This. Hall will also executive produce along with Johansson, Jonathan Lia, and Keenan Flynn of These Pictures. Head of Television for These Pictures Zara Duffy is overseeing the series for the production company. Warner Bros. TV is the studio behind the series.
Johansson was last seen in 2021’s Black Widow and received two Oscar nominations in the same year for performances in 2019’s Jojo Rabbit and Marriage Story. She lent her voice to 2021’s Sing 2 and will next appear in the films My Mother’s Wedding, Project Artemis, and Asteroid City, all currently in post-production. Her only other TV credit is voiceover work for Robot Chicken from 2006 to 2008, plus six hosting gigs and other guest appearances on Saturday Night Live.
Hall is an L.A.-based playwright who will make her feature film directorial debut with Daddio, a story she adapted from her play of the same name. The film stars Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn and begins production this week. Over on TV, Hall was recently a consulting producer on Apple TV+‘s Servant and an upcoming untitled Damien Chazelle project.
Just Cause, Limited Series, TBA, Prime Video
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services