Things between Disney and Scarlett Johansson are becoming increasingly heated, and whatever happens with her Black Widow lawsuit, something tells us she'll never return to the MCU in any capacity.
That's far from the end of the world given her character's fate in Avengers: Endgame, of course, but the way things pan out with this legal battle could set a major new precedent. No matter who "wins" this thing, the Hollywood landscape is shifting thanks to COVID-19 and the rise of streaming services, and that's something WandaVision star Elizabeth Olsen addressed in a recent interview.
"I'm worried about a bunch of things. Not worried on Scarlett's behalf," she tells Vanity Fair. "But I'm worried about small movies getting the opportunity to be seen in theaters. That was already a thing pre-COVID. I like going to the movies and I don't necessarily want to see only an Oscar contender or a blockbuster. I would like to see art films and art house theaters."
"And so I do worry about that, and people having to keep these theaters alive. And I don't know how financially that works for these theaters. I do hope that there's some sort of solution that the larger companies are coming together to keep, at least in L.A. this is going to happen. But I do think it's going to be how it kind of used to be when studios owned theaters."
"And I have a feeling that we might go back to that being the only way to keep them alive with such expensive real estate. But when it comes to actors and their earnings, I mean, that's just, that's just all contracts. So it's either in the contract or it's not." Olsen then elaborated on how she feels about Johansson's lawsuit, noting: "I think she's so tough and literally when I read that I was like, 'Good for you Scarlett.'"
It's certainly interesting to see Olsen lend her support to the Black Widow star publicly, though the majority do appear to be on Johansson's side - includingMarvel Studios President Kevin Feige, as it's previously been reported that he fought her corner with Disney before CEO Bob Chapek decided to take things in another direction (which has not gone well for him thus far).
As always, we'll be sure to keep you updated as this story develops.