Scarlett Johansson.Photo: Karwai Tang/Getty
Scarlett Johanssonis taking Disney to court.
The actress filed a lawsuit against Disney on Thursday in Los Angeles, alleging the conglomerate breached her contract when it released this summer’s blockbusterBlack Widowon its Disney+ streaming service at the same time that it was released in movie theaters.
“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 suit said.
A Walt Disney Company spokesperson later released a statement slamming the lawsuit, saying: “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 ofBlack Widowon Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date.”
Johansson has starred as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow since 2010’sIron Man 2and has since been an integral part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, specifically the company’sAvengersfilms.
Her character died in 2019’sAvengers: Endgame.Black Widowwas Johansson’s only spinoff film involving her character.
Scarlett Johansson inBlack Widow(2021).Film Frame/Marvel Studios 2020
Disney’s decision to releaseBlack Widowsimultaneously in theaters and on its streaming platform matches what the company did forCruellaandJungle Cruise, which opens in theaters and becomes available on Disney+, for a premium $30 price, on Friday.
Black Widow, which debuted on July 9, earned $80 million at the U.S. box office in its opening weekend and $78 million at the worldwide box office. It earned another $60 million from the Disney+ Premier $30 rental fees on the platform.
Earlier this month, Johansson said in an interview withFatherlythat she had “no plans to return” as Black Widow.
“I feel really satisfied with this film,” she said. “It feels like a great way to go out for this chapter of my Marvel identity.”
RELATED VIDEO: ‘Black Widow’: See the Trailer for Scarlett Johansson’s First Standalone Marvel Movie
That doesn’t mean we won’t see the two-timeAcademy Awardnominee around the Marvel Cinematic Universe at all, though.
“I would love to be able to continue to collaborate with Marvel in other ways because I think there’s justan incredible wealth of storiesthere,” she said. “Re-imagining this genre is something that I find very interesting.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“I think there’s a lot of opportunities to tell these stories in different ways than audiences have come to expect,” Johansson added.
While Marvel Studios PresidentKevin Feigedidn’t rule out whetherBlack Widowwould be the last we see of Natasha, he did say in a recent interview withEntertainment Tonightearlier this month that he’d love to work with Johansson again.
“Marvel is always about new beginnings and Scarlett Johansson is such an amazing partner for us,” he said. “She was a producer on [Black Widow]. She was the one that brought us our amazing director, Cate Shortland.”
“I amexcited to continue working with herin any way possible if we’re so lucky,” added Feige, 48, who is also a producer on the film.
The Wall Street Journalwas the first to report the news of the lawsuit.
source: people.com
