LOS ANGELES, March 29 — American actress Scarlett Johansson will play a German mother during the Second World War in Taika Waititi’s upcoming movie Jojo Rabbit, scheduled to start filming this spring.

After Avengers and Ghost in the Shell, Scarlett Johansson has a change of genre in store with this upcoming movie role. The American actress will take a leading role in the upcoming feature film from Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi, reports Variety. Filming is due to start in the spring.

Jojo Rabbit is set during the Second World War, and follows a young German boy with an imaginary friend who discovers that his mother, played by Scarlett Johansson, is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.

Taika Waititi—who directed the latest Thor movie, released in 2017 -- has been offered the helm of several movies, including the live-action adaptation of the Akira manga. However, the New Zealand director has confirmed that his next project will be Jojo Rabbit, a WWII drama based on an original screenplay. As yet, there’s no word on which young actor will play Scarlett Johansson’s son.

In recent years, Scarlett Johansson has mainly starred in action movies, such as Ghost in the Shell, and comedies like Rough Night, released in 2017. She reprises her role as Black Widow in the upcoming Marvel movie, Avengers: Infinity War, out April 27 in the US. — AFP-Relaxnews