Scarlett Johansson vs the Mouse
August 7, 2021
The legal dispute between Scarlett Johansson and Disney/Marvel over the 2021 film Black Widow was settled out of court in September 2021, with both parties reaching a private agreement.
"An uncommonly public feud ends with diplomacy" – Scarlett Johnasson and Disney settle out of court - September 30, 2021 – Washington Post
The actress alleged that the shift violated her contract by potentially limiting ticket sales, depriving her of maximum bonuses from theatrical revenue that can reach as high as $30 million to $40 million...."
Related Media Stories:
Johansson's legal case has courtroom chance – claim at Arstechnica via Fark
Johansson's challenge to the Mouse is bringing out other suits:
Gerard Butler suing over Olympus Has Fallen profit sharing – People
Emma Stone suing over Cruella? – Cheatsheet and at Metro
Scarlett Johansson vs the Mouse
This is one of those cases where a media story is a Rorschach test where everyone can see what they want, versus the simple technicalities of contracts, something that will take a courtroom argument to establish. It's going to come down to legal teams and the merits of the case vis-a-vis contract law.
"CAA's Bryan Lourd Slaps Back at Disney's 'Shameless' and 'False' Response to Scarlett Johansson Lawsuit" – MSN News - The Wrap
"Scarlett Johansson’s ‘Black Widow’ Lawsuit Is Game-Changing, But May Be Legally Weak" – Hollywood Reporter on MSN
"Scarlett Johansson’s Disney Lawsuit Makes Us Wonder Whether Movie Stars Have a Future With IP driving the future of franchises more than famous faces" – Indiewire
"Disney Strikes Back Over Scarlett Johansson's 'Black Widow' Lawsuit, Reveals Her $20 Million Payday" – Deadline Hollywood
"Disney Slams Scarlett Johansson's Lawsuit ... Disney is calling Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit "sad and distressing" " – People Magazine
Whoa! Scarlett Johansson goes to war with Disney
A tangle of issues seems to make up the lawsuit, but the primary one is Disney damaging its own theatrical release of Black Widow (apparently on purpose) in order to drive up Disney+ subscription numbers which then benefited those in the executive offices... and that's just for starters. Interesting to see a major superhero movie headliner like Johansson going to bat against one of the biggest corporate legal teams in the entertainment industry. The article doesn't really address all of the other players besides "Scarjo*" in Hollywood who might claim they've been wronged by day-and-date releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. If the Johansson lawsuit gets traction in court and moves forward, then maybe a lot of others who might say this strategy of split releasing hurt their films (and contracts) might start filing their own suits.
The lawsuit claims that, by steering audiences to Disney+, the media conglomerate wanted to grow its subscriber base and boost its stock price. Yet that was at the expense of Johansson, whose compensation would “largely be based on box office receipts,” according to the lawsuit, while she “extracted a promise from Marvel that the release” of Black Widow would be a theatrical release.
The lawsuit also claims that “Disney’s financial disclosures make clear that the very Disney executives who orchestrated this strategy will personally benefit from their and Disney’s misconduct...”
Story at Deadline Hollywood
*Scarjo aka Scarlett Ingrid Johansson
From the archives:
2014 "The unstoppable Scarlett Johansson"
"There is no getting away from Johansson, and that is how her uncountable fans, female as well as male, would like it to be forever. They do not want to get away. Even if they can’t afford to open a bottle of Moët & Chandon champagne, as endorsed by Johansson in 2011, they can still enjoy her likeness on the shell case of their iPhone 5, and come a little closer to her with a deep sniff of The One, the Dolce & Gabbana fragrance that the actress, as an official face of the fashion house, is paid to advertise. Ideally, we are informed, it should be “used to adorn pulse points or misted into the air.” She made a short film, in luscious black-and-white, as a means of encouraging us to buy the perfume. The director was Martin Scorsese, who, presumably, was attracted by its top notes of zesty bergamot and mandarin. And the co-star was Matthew McConaughey, one of Johansson’s few rivals, right now, in the stakes of global celebrity. As I said, exciting times; and she doesn’t even turn thirty until November."
Scarlett Johansson profile at the New Yorker
2012 - The Avengers Natasha Romanoff
Washington Post Article May 4, 2012
"Though her costume was unforgivingly unbreathable and she spent months training to perform in it, Johansson said she’d wear it again in a second to tell the story of Black Widow.
“I love her origin story. I think it’s just such a riveting one,” she said. “It’s just steeped in history and the richness to shoot in Russia, perhaps. ... I hope that the fans’ voice is loud enough and they want to see a Widow origin story, I know Marvel would be happy to entertain that. We’ve spoken a lot about it.”
...“You see a little bit about how Natasha joined and it’s not that she’s fighting for the greater good of humanity,” the actress said. “She was almost salvaged by S.H.I.E.L.D. and so she’s loyal to that group, to that agency, but only as sort of paid debt.”
2010 - Scarlett Johansson signed for NINE films
Brief story at fandango (September 23, 2010) about the future for the Black Widow / Natasha Romanoff character in the Marvel movieland:
"...it is an indication of where Marvel plans to go once they're done with their current crop of superhero cross-promotion. While speaking at a press conference for the new Iron Man 2 DVD, Marvel chief Kevin Feige admitted that they're currently working on a spin-off film for Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow character. He noted, "We've already started discussions with Scarlett about the idea, but The Avengers comes first." Feige later added that they haven't done much else except begin to put concepts together."
Directly related: Scarlett Johansson vs the Mouse
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Original page July 28, 2021 | Updated June 12, 2025