After more than two months of fighting, Scarlett Johansson and Disney are reported to have settled all issues regarding releases and salary contracts Black Widow. Unfortunately, the terms and details of the agreement were not disclosed to the public.
“I am pleased to have resolved all of our differences with Disney,” said Johansson. “I am very proud of the work we have done together over the years and really enjoy my creative relationship with the team. I look forward to continuing our collaboration in the years to come.”
Disney Studios chairman Alan Bergman added: “I am very pleased that we were able to reach a mutual agreement with Scarlett Johansson regarding Black Widow. We appreciate his contribution to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and look forward to working with him on a number of projects to come, including Disney’s Tower of Terror.”
As we all know the news that was reported some time ago, Johansson filed a lawsuit saying that his contract with Disney guaranteed exclusive theatrical releases for Black Widow, with his salary dependent on the film’s box office performance. A line in the lawsuit says that “Disney knowingly caused Marvel to breach the agreement, without justification, to prevent Ms. Johansson has fully benefited from his contract with Marvel.”
The scandalous lawsuit was filed by the actress in July in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming that the studio sacrificed the film’s box office potential to develop the fledgling Disney+ streaming service. Disney replied that Johansson had been paid $20 million for the film.
This deal puts an end to a fairly complicated feud that pitted Johansson against Disney and has dramatic implications for all of Hollywood’s major studios. Johansson’s struggles have received support from various parties — including Jamie Lee Curtis, Marvel and WandaVision stars, Elizabeth Olsen and Jason Blum.
Johanson vs. Disney is one of the latest cases of an all-too-common profit dispute in Hollywood, with actors and actresses clashing with studios over their compensation or definition of “net income.” Very few of these feuds come to public attention because they often reach a resolution before lawyers get involved, or actor contracts contain arbitration provisions and the entire process remains confidential.
