Last night it was revealed that Marvel star Scarlett Johansson has filed a lawsuit against Disney, accusing the studio of breach of contract over the hybrid theatrical and streaming release of Black Widow.
The suit claims that “Disney intentionally induced Marvel’s breach of the agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from realizing the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel” – the actresses legal representatives arguing that the Premier Access release on Disney+ impacted the film’s theatrical gross, and therefore Johansson’s back-end deal (according to reports, she stood to earn as much as $50 million from box office takings).
Well, Disney has now fired back, rather bluntly, dismissing the actress and producer’s lawsuit as without merit and calling it “sad and distressing” given the situation with the pandemic. The statement from the Mouse House reads:
“There is no merit whatsoever to this filing. The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Disney has fully complied with Ms Johansson’s contract and furthermore, the release of Black Widow on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20m she has received to date.”
Stuck in the middle of this dispute between Disney and Johansson is Marvel Studios, where Johansson has enjoyed incredible success with her role as Natasha Romanoff, appearing in box office smashes Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. And, according to The Hollywood Reporter editor Matthew Belloni, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige is not pleased with the situation and how it has spilled out into the public domain.
“[Feige is] a company man, and not prone to corporate showdowns or shouting matches,” reports Belloni (via Comic Book). “But I’m told he’s angry and embarrassed. He lobbied Disney against the day-and-date plan for Black Widow, preferring the big screen exclusivity and not wanting to upset his talent. And then when the shit hit the fan, the movie started tanking, and Johansson’s team threatened litigation, he wanted Disney to make this right with her.”
What are your thoughts on the situation between Disney and Johansson? Let us know your thoughts on our social channels @flickeringmyth…
In Marvel Studios’ action-packed spy thriller “Black Widow,” Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.
Black Widow is directed by Cate Shortland (Lore) and sees Scarlett Johansson reprising her role as Natasha Romanoff alongside William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross, Florence Pugh (Fighting With My Family) as Yelena Belova, O-T Fagbenle (The Handmaid’s Tale) as Mason, David Harbour (Stranger Things) as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Rachel Weisz (The Favourite) as Melina Vostokoff and Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast) as Dreykov.
