Jessica Chastain demands Scarlett Johansson front a Marvel superhero movie

Marvel Studios' president hopes to make the film 'sooner rather than later'

Scarlett Johansson stars as the Black Widow in 2010's Iron Man 2 (Rex Features)

Jessica Chastain is wondering why on earth a Scarlett Johansson-led superhero movie has not hit cinema screens yet.

The Oscar-nominated actress, known for her feisty, respect-demanding roles in Zero Dark Thirty and The Debt, spoke out at the lack of major parts for women last week.

Chastain told The Wrap that she would like to see The Avengers’ Johansson at the centre of a solo action film.

“Where is the Scarlett Johansson superhero movie?” she asked. “I don’t understand it, why is it taking so long for this? This woman clearly shows that people want to go see her in movies.”

Chastain added that Johansson’s recent thriller Lucy beat the Dwayne Johnson-led Hercules on its opening weekend, despite being made for a lot less. To date it has grossed $217 million worldwide on a $40 million budget.

“She shows that she kicks ass, she’s a great actress,” she said. “To me, it’s a no brainer. You want to make money, put Scarlett Johansson in her own superhero movie!”

Johansson has been signed on to reprise her role of Russian heroine spy Black Widow in the next Avenger film, Age of Ultron, due out on 1 May 2015.

Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios president, has addressed demand for a Black Widow spin-off, saying that it “comes down to timing” and “being able to tell the right story”.

“I hope we do it sooner rather than later,” he told Comic Book Resources. “But we find ourselves in the very strange position of managing more franchises than most people have – which is a very, very good thing and we don’t take it for granted, but it is challenging.

Hunger Games, Frozen, Divergent, you can go back to Kill Bill or Aliens...these are all female-led movies. It can certainly be done."

Marvel Comics announced in July that hammer-wielding superhero Thor will change gender and become a woman in a move to attract more female fans to the franchise.

Marvel has announced a new female incarnation of Thor (AP)

“This is not She-Thor. This is not Lady Thor. This is not Thorita. This is THOR. This is the THOR of the Marvel Universe. But it’s unlike any Thor we’ve ever seen before,” said series writer Jason Aaron.

Marvel and Sony are also believed to be in talks to make a Spider-Man spin-off with a female lead for 2017.

The subject of leading Hollywood women has been under much debate of late. Cate Blanchett drew upon the issue during her Best Actress acceptance speech at the 2013 Oscars, arguing that some people are still “foolishly clinging to the idea that female films with women at the centre are niche experiences”.

“They are not,” she said to cheers. “Audiences want to see them and, in fact, they earn money. The world is round, people.”