Marvel Officially Scraps “Black Widow”

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Marvel confirms the Black Widow series will be scrapped, bringing the project to an untimely end.

Black Widow is one of the most recognizable parts of the Marvel Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Avenger first appeared in Kevin Feige’s MCU in Iron Man 2 (2010) alongside Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man), where Scarlett Johansson originated the character for the blockbuster movie franchise as an undercover S.H.I.E.L.D agent working for Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).

Natasha Romanoff’s time was seemingly up after last year’s Black Widow (2021), from director Cate Shortland, which acted as a solo sequel to Chris Evans’ (Steve Rogers/Captain America) Captain America: Civil War (2016) and a precursor to the tragic events of the Russo Brothers’ Infinity Saga conclusion, Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). The latter Marvel film saw Natasha sacrifice herself for the Soul Stone on Vormir during an intense sequence with Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton/Hawkeye.

Johansson’s much-awaited solo installment in Marvel Phase Four faced multiple delays due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, ultimately releasing last July in movie theaters and on Disney+ simultaneously from the Marvel studio — a move that forced the Marvel actress to sue The Walt Disney Company due to contractual agreements allegedly being broken regarding box office receipts and the star’s salary.

However, before Shortland’s spy-thriller, which introduced characters like Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour), Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz), and Rick Mason (O-T Fagbenle), the Marvel Universe also began its new “Black Widow” run in 2020.

black widow (l-r) rachel weisz,scarlett johansson, florence pugh at table

Marvel Comics began its new comic book series, “Black Widow” in 2020, but after 15 issues, Marvel is pulling the plug on this fan-acclaimed outing from the former Red Room assassin. On its announcement back in 2020, Marvel said: “Eisner-nominated writer Kelly Thompson (CAPTAIN MARVEL, STAR) and rising star artist Elena Casagrande (Catwoman) launch a new BLACK WIDOW series that changes everything!”

Now, the series that was set to “change everything” has been canceled. Thompson released a statement to Substack announcing the news. Her statement reads (via ScreenRant):

So, this IS the final issue…for now. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to talk about it, a lot of you have been asking, and it has deeply pained me to take a pass on those questions, especially since this is a book I love so much (maybe my favorite book I’ve ever done at Marvel), but there’s a lot of stuff that happens behind the scenes and it’s not always something you can talk about publicly. To be honest, I still can’t talk about as much as I’d like, but what I can say is… there ARE plans for a bit more story from this creative team. Things are still being wrangled, but I am optimistic it will work out AND be worth the wait.

"Black Widow #15" cover

And the emotional Editor’s Note in “Black Widow #15” says:

Our legendary run is ending for now. We could not be more grateful to the collaborators who made this book extraordinary and the fans who picked up our book month and month. From the very first day 1 sat down next to Kelly at an editorial retreat and said “so what about Black Widow” to the day we got Elisabetta D’Amico on board to ink Elena’s pencils, I’ve known we had a special book on our hands. We’ve become a close-knit group, and it’s a bittersweet feeling to see our collective work realized here.

Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow

Johansson’s Lawyer Says Disney Is Trying to Hide Its Misconduct

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+, Uncategorized

The Scarlett Johansson (AKA “Black Widow”) and Disney dispute continues. If you need to be caught up, Johansson recently announced she is suing Disney for the release of Black Widow on Disney+ which she says was not part of their original film contract. Even though the COVID 19 pandemic hit the actress wanted an exclusive theatrical release. Disney responded with disappointment. Disney’s upcoming “Tower of Terror” film is currently on hold as Disney has reportedly cut all ties with Johansson. With all of the Johansson news highlights, she was privately keeping hidden that she was pregnant and as of a few days ago celebrated the arrival of a baby boy! In other words – there has been a LOT going on! Now, Disney is asking for private arbitration. It sounds like Johansson’s lawyer is not happy about it.

On Friday night (August 20), the Walt Disney Company filed to move the Black Widow and Scarlett Johannson lawsuit out of the public court and behind closed doors with a confidential arbitration. As reported by Entertainment Weekly: “In the filing, Disney took aim at Periwinkle Entertainment, the company through which Johansson negotiated her contract and the official plaintiff in the case. Disney’s motion argues that Periwinkle agreed to resolve all disputes “‘arising out of, in connection with, or relating to’ Scarlett Johansson’s acting services for Black Widow” through arbitration, and accuses Johansson of legal chicanery to attempt to take the dispute to court.”

The actress’s lawyer, John Berlinski, responded: “After initially responding to this litigation with a misogynistic attack against Scarlett Johansson, Disney is now, predictably, trying to hide its misconduct in a confidential arbitration,” said Berlinski. “Why is Disney so afraid of litigating this case in public? Because it knows that Marvel’s promises to give Black Widow a typical theatrical release ‘like its other films’ had everything to do with guaranteeing that Disney wouldn’t cannibalize box office receipts in order to boost Disney+ subscriptions. Yet that is exactly what happened — and we look forward to presenting the overwhelming evidence that proves it.”

The Marvel movie recently became the highest-grossing film at the domestic box office since COVID-19 began, with $179.3 million. In its motion on Friday, Disney revealed a rare Disney Plus disclosure that Black Widow had also grossed “more than $125 million in streaming and download retail receipts.” 

Disney Will Seek Arbitration in Scarlett Johansson Lawsuit

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+, Uncategorized

Via wdwnt.com

There has been quite a bit of back-and-forth between Disney and Scarlett Johansson, who plays Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The star recently filed a lawsuit against Disney over her most recent outing as the super spy in this month’s “Black Widow.” And after more than a week of responses in the media and in legal filings, Disney is now seeking arbitration according to the Wall Street Journal.

Johansson’s lawsuit alleges that by releasing the film on Disney+ simultaneously with the theatrical release, “Disney intentionally induced Marvel’s breach of the agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from realizing the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel.” Johansson reportedly took a partial back-end deal, in which her salary for the film was derived from the box office sales which, the lawsuit alleges, were undercut by the Disney+ sales.

After multiple delays in release due to the COVID-19 pandemic shuttering theaters nationwide, it was announced in March that “Black Widow” would be one of several films pushed through to the Disney+ streaming service as a Premiere Access title. Despite an $80 million opening in the US and Canada and $60 million garnered from Disney+ sales, the film still sits at $359 million worldwide. With $174 million total domestic take as of press time, this makes “Black Widow” the 2nd lowest-earning marvel film ever, behind “The Incredible Hulk.”

In the Wall Street Journal, Disney released figures touting that Johansson had already earned $20 million from her deal. Previously, Disney attorney Daniel Petrocelli had called the lawsuit a lost cause because the contract is iron clad. “We treated Disney Premier Access (revenue) like box office for the purposes of the bonus requirements in the contract,” Petrocelli told Variety. “No amount of public pressure can change or obscure the explicit contractual commitments. The written contract is clear as a bell.”

Disney’s arbitration would make the case confidential and the details would not become publicly available even after the case ends, which Johansson’s lawyer John Berlinski decried as Disney’s attempt to “hide its misconduct from the public in a confidential arbitration,” according to the Wall Street Journal article.

Disney Responds To “Black Widow” Lawsuit by Scarlett Johansson

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+

Earlier, we reported that “Black Widow” star Scarlett Johansson had filed a lawsuit against Disney over the film’s release. Disney has responded to the lawsuit publicly, according to Variety.

The lawsuit alleges that by releasing the film on Disney+ simultaneously with the theatrical release, “Disney intentionally induced Marvel’s breach of the agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from realizing the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel.”

“There is no merit whatsoever to this filing,” said the statement by Disney. “The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Disney went on to say that Scarlett Johansson has already made $20 million from the film and stands to earn more through the digital release. They also deny any breach of contract.

Scarlett Johansson Sues Disney Over ‘Black Widow’ Disney+ Release

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+

Big news coming out of the film industry today… and it involves a lawsuit again Disney. Marvel’s newest film, Black Widow, recently debuted on both Disney+ Premier Access and in theaters on the same day. Now, the star of the film, Black Widow herself – Scarlett Johansson – is suing Disney for breach of contract. Apparently, the simultaneous release of the film in theaters and on Disney+ was not part of the originally plan.

As reported by Wall Street Journal: Scarlett Johansson, star of the latest Marvel movie “Black Widow,” filed a lawsuit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court against Disney, alleging her contract was breached when the media giant released the film on its Disney+ streaming service at the same time as its theatrical debut. Ms. Johansson said in the suit that her agreement with Disney’s Marvel Entertainment guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release, and her salary was based in large part on the box-office performance of the film. “Disney intentionally induced Marvel’s breach of the agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from realizing the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel,” the suit said.

“This will surely not be the last case where Hollywood talent stands up to Disney and makes it clear that, whatever the company may pretend, it has a legal obligation to honor its contracts,” said John Berlinski, an attorney at Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP who represents Ms. Johansson. According to the complaint, Ms. Johansson’s representatives sought to renegotiate her contract after learning of the dual-release strategy for “Black Widow,” which she has said is her ninth and last Marvel movie. Disney and Marvel were unresponsive, the suit said. The decision to put the movie on Disney+ is projected to cost Ms. Johansson more than $50 million, a person familiar with details of her contract claimed.