Scarlett Johansson was reportedly far from impressed by Disney's response to her recent lawsuit, and the reason for the Mouse House's rather pointed statement may have now come to light.
As we reported at the time, the Black Widow star decided to take legal action against the Walt Disney Co., alleging that her contract was breached when the Marvel Studios movie was released on Disney+ and in theaters simultaneously. Disney's response called the filing "sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic."
According to Johansson's representatives, the Avengers: Endgame star was "shocked" by Disney's statement, and Variety has now implied that the tone of the response might have something to do with the fact that Disney was "not given the courtesy of a heads-up that a legal complaint was coming."
The respondent is not necessarily entitled to a warning that the claim is coming, of course, but Disney higher-ups may simply have been taken aback after their longstanding professional relationship with the actress. At any rate, this entire situation has understandably resulted in a lot of bad blood between both parties.
Marvel's Kevin Feige was also said to be "angry and embarrassed" by Disney's handling of the lawsuit, and Johansson's agent and CAA co-chairman Bryan Lourd has since released a statement of his own, hitting back at the Mouse House for "shamelessly and falsely accusing Ms. Johansson of being insensitive to the global COVID pandemic, in an attempt to make her appear to be someone they and I know she isn't."
"The company included her salary in their press statement in an attempt to weaponize her success as an artist and businesswoman, as if that were something she should be ashamed of," Lourd continued, adding that the lawsuit was filed as "a result of Disney’s decision to knowingly violate Scarlett's contract."
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.