Scarlett Johansson Offered Record-Breaking $20M For Avengers 2 [Pics]

Scarlett Johansson isn’t going to be worrying about money any time soon. Her payday for Marvel’s planned Avengers 2 puts her at the top of the highest female earners in Hollywood, as the studio pledges to cash out $20 million to the buxom beauty to get her to reprise her role in the hotly anticipated sequel.

After the steam-rolling success of The Avengers, producers quickly starting talking sequel (as if it wasn’t in the cards all along) and are adamant about getting all of the originals back to play ball. No more awkward last-minute replacements, thank-you-very-much Edward Norton and Terrence Howard. Scarlett Johansson pulls special appeal as the only female in the main line-up, and Marvel is prepared to offer a major salary to the actress to reel her back into her tight black catsuit. “Scarlett is the hottest star in Hollywood and her inclusion in the sequel is a must,” a source told The Sun.

She’ll be cashing a $20 million paycheck to reprise her role as the Black Widow, a sexy black-ops spy and peripheral member of the superhero team alongside Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye. In addition to being the sexiest woman in Hollywood, Johansson will also be the highest-paid woman in Hollywood if she accepts the offer, reports the NY Post. Her $20 million tops Angelina Jolie’s $19 million for yawn-inducing The Tourist.

“Producers think that as the only lead woman in the film male fans have found her a key ingredient — both for sex and story appeal. She is loved by critics too,” noted the source. “This says, ‘We value you’. Everyone is confident she’ll sign and be ready for 2013 filming.”

Stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, and Jeremy Renner are also getting a raise for their participation – 50% of whatever mind-numbing millions they raked in after the first go-round.

Here are some of the best pictures of Scarlett as Black Widow I was able to drum up across the web:

Seems silly to even ask, but are you dying for Avengers 2?