The Wall Street Journal has run an in-depth piece on Scarlett Johansson's legal battle with Disney over how Black Widow was released (and the financial impact that had on her). It makes for interesting reading, but there's a big reveal in there that could have major consequences for the MCU.
While Joe and Anthony Russo are taking some time off from this shared world, it seems obvious that they would be interested in returning at some point. Whether that's for Avengers 5, another Captain America movie, or even Secret Wars remains to be seen, but talks between the filmmakers and Marvel Studios are said to have stalled (confirming that they were indeed looking to take the helm of another MCU movie).
"Since the lawsuit, brothers Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, directors of Marvel’s 'Avengers: Endgame,' the highest-grossing movie of all time, hit an impasse in negotiations to direct another Marvel movie," the site confirms. "The Johansson dispute left them unsure how their next movie would be distributed and how they would be paid, according to people familiar with the matter."
While the Russos certainly haven't shied away from making movies for streaming services like Netflix and Apple TV+, had Avengers: Endgame been released on Disney+ at the same time as theaters, it wouldn't have grossed over $2 billion and they'd have been left seriously out of pocket.
Hopefully, some assurances can be made, and we will see Joe and Anthony make their MCU return soon.
We're still very much in the midst of the pandemic, and while movies have started being released in theaters again, we still don't know how much studios intend to embrace that streaming model. If Disney makes "Premiere Access" a regular occurrence, it could dash our hopes of another MCU movie from the Russos. As always, we'll be sure to keep you guys updated as we learn more.
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