The Disney and Scarlett Johansson story has moved quickly in the last couple of days, with both sides releasing statements about the case. However, Disney’s latest move is very extreme as, according to reports, the Disney company has totally cut ties with the Black Widow actress and will no longer work with her in any form.
The news of this cutting of ties comes from Giant Freaking Robot, which reports that one of their trusted and inside sources has confirmed that Disney has totally ended their professional relationship with the actress. This means that the company is instantly halting any current or future projects involving Johansson, including the recently announced Tower Of Terror movie.
Scarlett Johansson is currently involved in a lawsuit with the Disney company over streaming rights. Disney released the movie Black Widow in theaters and on their streaming platform Disney+ on the same day. Johansson’s legal team is calling this a breach of contract, as, when Disney and Johansson made a contract for Black Widow back in 2017, Disney promised the movie would be a theater exclusive. Because of this, Johansson’s pay and bonuses were linked to the film’s box office performance.
This means that the simultaneous release could dramatically reduce the earnings of both Johansson and many others with similar contracts who worked on the movie. Johansson’s legal team said it tried to renegotiate the star’s contract when the Disney+ release was announced. However, according to Johansson’s camp, Disney ignored this renegotiation request and released the film regardless.Â
Disney has been heavily criticized for its very public handling of this lawsuit, and several of its statements have been called childish and inappropriate by many film insiders.
However, this action proves that this lawsuit and its fallout is far from over, and we can likely expect more actions and statements in the coming days and weeks.
