It was a lawsuit that not only rocked Disney and Marvel, but also the entire entertainment community. In late July, Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson sued The House of Mouse, claiming that the studio giant had breached its contract with her when it released Black Widow in theaters and on Disney+ at the same time. Disney fought back and called the lawsuit “callous”.
The lawsuit set the stage for a major Hollywood showdown that could have had implications across the industry. Disney and Johansson went back and forth in attacking each other, with many taking Johansson’s side, even calling the lawsuit a “gendered” character attack. It looked like things were going to be animus between the two parties for a long time
However, that has now changed.
According to Johansson and Disney, the sides have amicably settled their lawsuit and will continue working together on future projects, including Johansson’s highly-anticipated Tower of Terror movie. Johansson shared her news of the settlement in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter:
“I am happy to have resolved our differences with Disney,” stated Johansson. “I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done together over the years and have greatly enjoyed my creative relationship with the team. I look forward to continuing our collaboration in years to come.”
Disney Studios Chairman Alan Bergman also shared his excitement that the company and Scarlett were able to come to a settlement before the matter went to court.
Disney Studios chairman Alan Bergman added: “I’m very pleased that we have been able to come to a mutual agreement with Scarlett Johansson regarding Black Widow. We appreciate her contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and look forward to working together on a number of upcoming projects, including Disney’s Tower of Terror.”
It was reported that the Scarlett Johansson lawsuit could possibly start a tidal wave of lawsuits due to films being released on streaming platforms instead of theaters because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cruella star Emma Stone and Jungle Cruise star Emily Blunt were both rumored to be considering legal action against Disney. Neither of those came to fruition, and Disney recently sealed a deal with Stone for the Cruella sequel.
It was not announced what the terms of the settlement were, but it can be assumed that both parties are pretty satisfied considering they seem quite happy to work with each other once again.
Are you happy to see Disney and Scarlett Johansson settle, and to hear that the Tower of Terror movie is happening once again? Let us know in the comments!