Scarlett Johansson settles Disney lawsuit and announces new movie

Scarlett Johansson arrive at the premiere of ’Avengers: Endgame’ at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Monday, April 22, 2019. Picture: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Scarlett Johansson arrive at the premiere of ’Avengers: Endgame’ at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Monday, April 22, 2019. Picture: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Published Oct 1, 2021

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Scarlett Johansson has reached a deal and "resolved" her "differences" with Disney after she filed to sue the company for her alleged loss of earnings from “Black Widow”.

The “Black Widow” star filed papers to sue Disney in July for an alleged $50 million in lost earnings, as she claimed their decision to release the Marvel movie on Disney+ at the same time as its theatrical release violated the terms of their contract and impacted negatively on her salary.

However, the 36-year-old has now accepted a deal, which has not been disclosed, and plans to continue working with Disney for "years to come".

Scarlett said in a statement, “I am happy to have resolved our differences with Disney. I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done together over the years and have greatly enjoyed my creative relationship with the team. I look forward to continuing our collaboration in years to come.”

It has also been announced that the “Avengers: Endgame” will star in and produce Disney's “Tower of Terror” film based on the Disneyland ride.

Disney Studios chairman Alan Bergman added: “I’m very pleased that we have been able to come to a mutual agreement with Scarlett Johansson regarding 'Black Widow'.

“We appreciate her contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and look forward to working together on a number of upcoming projects, including Disney’s 'Tower of Terror'.”

In her original filing, Scarlett claimed her salary for ‘Black Widow’ was tied to how well the movie performed at the box office.

However, Disney later hit back to insist they would be compensating for the lost revenue, and said there was “no merit” in Scarlett’s lawsuit.

They said at the time: “There is no merit whatsoever to this filing. The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“[Disney] has fully complied with Ms. Johansson’s contract and furthermore, the release of ‘Black Widow’ on Disney Plus with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date.”

“Black Widow” grossed $80 million in domestic box office opening weekend, as well as another $78 million overseas and $60 million from home purchases on the streaming platform.