How Disney Ended Scarlett Johanssons Black Widow Lawsuit

How Disney Ended Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow Lawsuit

With Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow lawsuit now settled with Disney, here’s a breakdown of how a solution emerged after the two-month legal battle.

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How Disney Ended Scarlett Johanssons Black Widow Lawsuit

Here’s how Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit controversy with Disney over the release of Black Widow ended after the two sides arrived at an agreement following a two-month legal battle. The Natasha Romanoff actor sued Disney on July 29, claiming that the studio breached her contract when it released the Marvel film simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access. According to the lawsuit, Disney failed to renegotiate Johansson’s pay structure, which heavily relied on Black Widow’s box office performance. Johansson’s legal team accused Disney of using the movie to promote its streaming service, alleging that Black Widow’s hybrid release cost Scarlett Johansson $50 million in lost salary.

The lawsuit sparked a wider public debate over talent’s relations with movie studios amid the rise of the day-and-date streaming release model. Disney initially fired back at Johansson, accusing her of insensitivity toward the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, to which the actor’s legal team responded calling the studio’s statement a misogynistic attack. Many entertainment figures voiced their support for Johansson, including fellow MCU star Elizabeth Olsen and filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, as well as organizations like Women in Film and Time’s Up. On August 20, Disney attempted to force the lawsuit into arbitration and doubled down on its stance that Johansson had already earned her due for Black Widow.

Although the bitter PR battle between Johansson and Disney may have suggested a lengthy impending dispute, the two sides’ relatively quick reconciliation was to be expected. Johansson did not want to be tangled up in a lengthy legal battle while Disney’s reputation has taken a hit during the very public dispute with one of its biggest stars. The terms of the deal were not immediately made public, however, it has been reported that Johansson secured a payout of around $40 million, adding to her existing Black Widow salary of $20 million. The case was unlikely to ever see its resolution decided in court, thus the eventual settlement of Johannson’s lawsuit indicates a willingness on both sides to move forward. Here’s a breakdown of how the agreement came to be.

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Before settling Johansson’s lawsuit, Disney was already securing good terms with actors to avoid similar occurrences. Emma Stone and Emily Blunt were both reportedly considered taking legal action against Disney, as Cruella and Jungle Cruise also debuted on Disney+ with a concurrent theatrical release. However, Disney managed to secure deals with both stars for their respective film’s sequel. It headed off further PR disaster for Disney but was more evidence the studio needed to resolve Johansson’s lawsuit without further damaging its reputation. The studio looked especially bad considering Warner Bros.’s success in compensating its talent who appeared in films released in theaters and on HBO Max concurrently, starting with 2020’s Wonder Woman 1984, and stretching to the studio’s entire 2021 slate.

With the lawsuit settled, both Disney and Johansson released statements expressing their intentions to collaborate in the future. Disney also confirmed that its Tower of Terror movie is set to move forward with Johansson as its star and producer. In resolving its conflict with Johansson, Disney benefits from saving its relationship with a top talent—which bodes well for the studio’s reputation and future relations with actors despite sacrificing some of its leverage. At the same time, Scarlett Johansson received the pay she sought for Black Widow and successfully established her leverage in negotiations with movie studios, which could prove advantageous for other actors in the future as they discuss salaries for films.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/black-widow-lawsuit-disney-scarlett-johansson-end-how/

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