Scarlett Johansson and Disney's legal battle over "Black Widow" goes sour
The studio wants to avoid going to trial, and the actress claims that the company seeks to keep the matter private to "hide her misconduct."
Scarlett Johansson, through her attorneys, accused Disney on Saturday of "trying to hide its misconduct" after hearing about the judicial presentation made by the study on Friday, in which it asked to take the court case to a private arbitration instance. .
The conflict broke out on July 29, when the actress made a judicial presentation in a Los Angeles court accusing Disney of breach of contract due to the simultaneous launch in theaters and in streaming of "Black Widow", the new Marvel movie.
In the lawsuit, Johansson claims that she lost millions of dollars from the unilateral decision made by the studio's top executives. The complaint adds that "Disney intentionally breached Marvel's contract, without justification, in order to prevent Johansson from obtaining the full benefits of her settlement."
The also producer of "Black Widow" points out that there was "a promise" from Marvel that the film would have an exclusive release in theaters. "Disney was well aware of this promise, but still instructed Marvel to violate their promise and instead release the film on Disney + the same day it hit theaters," the lawsuit states.
Disney responded and assured that this claim has "no basis." "This complaint is especially sad and distressing in its cruel disregard for the horrific, protracted and global effects of the coronavirus pandemic," the company stated.
“Disney has fully honored the Johansson contract. What's more, the premiere of 'Black Widow' on Disney + with premium access has significantly expanded his ability to earn additional compensation in excess of the $ 20 million he has received to date, "they added.
"Black Widow" is the first film that Marvel has released since the pandemic began and it is the film with which Johansson says goodbye to her popular character after more than a decade in this blockbuster superhero saga.
The response of the actress has not been long in coming. The star's attorney wonders why the company seeks this resolution if they insist on having acted in good faith.
"After the initial response, which resulted in a misogynistic attack on Scarlett Johansson, Disney is now trying to foreseeably conceal her misconduct through confidential arbitration," said the actress's attorney, John Berlinski. "Why is Disney," he wondered, "is so afraid to keep this case in public? Because it is known that Marvel's promise to give "Black Widow" a traditional theatrical release ultimately had to do with the decision to scrap box office revenue while boosting Disney + subscriptions. This is what really happened and we are going to prove it with strong evidence. "
What the study asks is that the litigation be submitted to a body known in the United States as private arbitration, which allows the opposing parties to reach an agreement quickly and confidentially, away from public opinion. For it to start, it must be accepted voluntarily, something that from the reaction of Johansson's lawyers does not seem an alternative.
