Scarlett Johansson has been in the hot seat as of late after she shocked many by suing Disney. 

Johansson just starred in Marvel’s Black Widow, where the actress played Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff in her ninth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2010. Johansson’s character died in Avengers: End Game; however, the stand-alone film showed Romanoff’s backstory and gave audiences an insight into how she became Black Widow.

Related: Emma Stone Reportedly Weighing Legal Options Against Disney

Johansson reportedly made sure that her contract had an exclusive theatrical release, which Disney then broke by having Premier Access on Disney+ also release the film on the same day as theaters. Since part of Johansson’s compensation was based on box office sales, the choice to have Premier Access release the film could have interfered with her profits.

After Johansson sued, Disney released a statement that was published by Variety. 

“There is no merit whatsoever to this filing,” Disney said in a statement that minced no words while arguing the company complied with Johansson’s contract. “The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The company went on to state that the star has already received $20 million for her work and argued that “…the release of Black Widow on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date.” Disney did not provide any information about whether or not Johansson’s deal was renegotiated so that she could share in streaming rental revenue.”

The reveal of Johansson’s pay left her team releasing a statement back at Disney, accusing the company of “weaponize[ing] her success”. Needless to say, the lawsuit is turning into quite the bloodbath.

Now, Women in Film, Los Angeles, ReFrame, and Time’s Up have issued a joint statement calling Disney’s characterization of Scarlett Johansson a “gendered character attack.” The statement reads: 

“While we take no position on the business issues in the litigation between Scarlett Johansson and The Walt Disney Company, we stand firmly against Disney’s recent statement which attempts to characterize Johansson as insensitive or selfish for defending her contractual business rights. This gendered character attack has no place in a business dispute and contributes to an environment in which women and girls are perceived as less able than men to protect their own interests without facing ad hominem criticism.”

Related: Will Emily Blunt Join Johansson and Sue Disney For ‘Jungle Cruise’ Streaming Release?

At the time of the publication of this article, there have been no further responses from Disney regarding this new claim of a gendered character attack.

Stay tuned to Inside the Magic for all the latest information regarding this lawsuit.

What do you think of the statement issued by Women in Film, Los Angeles, ReFrame, and Time’s Up?