Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit against Disney over their handling of Black Widow’s release became one of the stories of the Covid pandemic in 2021. While a settlement was eventually reached between the House of Mouse and the former Marvel star, with Johansson reportedly taking away a settlement in the region of $40 million, the action against Disney was the first sign that day and date release of movies in the early stages of the pandemic was not how everyone wanted things to go. Two years on, Johansson has opened up about her disappointment and sadness over how Disney originally handled the case, and how her pregnancy helped to get her through it all.
Johansson has now moved on from her Marvel Cinematic Universe role as Natasha Romanoff, but that doesn’t mean she has any resentment for Disney over how her solo Marvel movie was handled. While speaking with Variety though, the actress did reveal that the initial statement released by Disney about the lawsuit did make her fell blue. She said:
"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."
Black Widow’s Release Caused Contractual issues For Disney’s Release Strategy.
While the Covid pandemic left many studios unsure of what to do with some of their movie releases, the way Scarlett Johansson felt her lawsuit with Disney was handled is something that was backed up by her agent, Bryan Lourd. In reference to the initial statement released about the case, which suggested that Johansson was showing a “callous disregard” for the effect the pandemic was having on the world, Lourd said:
"I lost my mind and said, ‘How dare you make it seem like she’s not worth this money or that she somehow hasn’t earned it?' She and I were very much in lockstep about what this was. And she had the conviction to let me fight back. A lot of people wouldn’t do that. And part of the reason she did it is because she thought, in the position she’s in, she had a responsibility not just to herself but to other people who were being confronted with this change."
While Johansson has previously said that she holds no ill-will against Disney and would work for them in future, her time in the MCU is now over. The actress recently doubled down by noting that the “chapter is over” for her and she doesn’t expect to reprise her role again. Next the actress will be returning to TV with the series Just Cause on Prime Video, with the show being given a straight-to-series order for the limited series. The show will be a new take on the 1995 Sean Connery movie, which was itself based on the 1992 novel of the same name by John Katzenbach. There is currently no details on when the show will air or when wi filming will commence in light of the ongoing writer’s strike.