Scarlett Johansson opens up about her Disney lawsuit over Black Widow two years after the event. Johansson brought to life Natasha Romanoff for several projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the years. The actress shocked the world by going up against Disney in court over a dispute related to what the studio owed her for starring in Black Widow, which was changed from a purely theatrical release to a dual opening at the box office and Disney’s streaming service — Disney+ — on the same day. After two years, Johansson has given more details on the ordeal.
Speaking with Variety, Johansson offered more insight into her Disney lawsuit over Black Widow. According to the Marvel star, she “was sad and disappointed” by Disney’s response to the lawsuit. The studio issued a statement that criticized the actress for her disregard for the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects. Johansson reveals she found the best distraction possible for that stressful period in her pregnancy at the time. Following Johansson getting paid reportedly north of $40 million for the lawsuit — as she had a clause that Black Widow had to be released exclusively in theaters — the star revealed she received support from strangers. Check out the full quote below:
“I was sad and disappointed. But mostly sad, it was such a surreal moment because we were all isolated and just sort of emerging a little bit. I was also really heavily pregnant, too, which in a weird way was amazing timing. Suddenly, your entire attention is drawn to this miracle of life. So, I had the most wonderful distraction in the world and soon after had a beautiful baby.” “I couldn’t even walk through a restaurant without somebody saying, ‘Good for you. Stand up for yourself. I could see that it had a bigger impact. I got support from strangers that have no skin in the game at all.”
Can Scarlett Johansson Return As Black Widow Following The Disney Lawsuit?
While Johansson’s situation with Disney at the time did not look so pretty, a possible MCU return for the actress would face no pushback from the studio. Then Disney CEO Bob Chapek has since given place to the return of Bob Iger to his past role, with the executive having been in charge of the studio throughout the ascension of the MCU. At the time of the lawsuit, it was also reported that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was “angry and embarrassed” by the situation.
Since then, Johansson continues to be involved with Disney, with the actress producing the studio’s Tower of Terror movie, which is based on the popular Disney theme park attraction. Given her ongoing working relationship with Disney, there would not be any issues preventing the actress from coming back as Black Widow in the future. However, Johansson herself might be what prevents that from happening.
Recently, Johansson gave a blunt response to a possible Black Widow return. According to the actress, that “chapter is over,” with Johansson feeling like she already did all that she could with the character. While it would be exciting to see Johansson return as Black Widow to close out Marvel’s Multiverse Saga, the hero’s mantle has already found a worthy successor in Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova. The duo shared the screen in Black Widow, serving as a passing of the torch from Johansson to Pugh.
Source: Variety
