Scarlett Johansson signs up for Luc Besson`s action film

Los Angeles: `The Avengers` star Scarlett Johansson will star in `Lucy`, a new action movie from Luc Besson.

The 28-year-old actress will play the lead role in the French director`s forthcoming female-led action film about a genetically modified heroine, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Johansson will play a woman, who is forced to become a drug mule, but upon ingesting the drug, she develops super strength, as well as the ability to absorb knowledge instantly and move objects with her mind. `The Fifth Element` filmmaker Besson wrote the script himself and will produce along with EuropaCorp`s Christophe Lambert. Besson is known for making movies with strong female characters and previously directed `La Femme Nikita` and `Joan of Arc` in the 1990s. Johansson is no stranger to the action genre, taking the lead female role in last year`s `The Avengers`, in which she played SHIELD agent Natasha Romanoff, also known as the Black Widow, alongside Robert Downey Jr`s Iron Man and other Marvel superheroes. The actress is currently filming `Captain America: The Winter Soldier` with Chris Evans and is expected to begin work on `Lucy` after that. Besson recently wrapped production on `Malavita`, a mafia drama starring Robert De Niro. PTI