The premiere of “Black Widow” during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 was a bumpy ride for Scarlett Johansson, who sued Disney over the streaming release. The actor’s suit alleged that she lost wages due to the underwhelming box office gross of “Black Widow” since Disney simultaneously premiered the film on their streaming service Disney+ for a premium fee.
About three months after she took legal action against the studio in late July 2021, Disney agreed to settle Johansson’s lawsuit. Although the terms of the settlement were not disclosed, sources told Deadline that Disney paid out $40 million to the actor.
Apparently, the settlement was enough to put the entertainment giant back in Johansson’s good graces, as evidenced by her upcoming “Tower of Terror” project, a film based on the famous Disney World ride. Plus, in June 2023, a report surfaced that Johansson’s mysterious Marvel project is still happening despite delays. The delays in June were caused by the Writers Guild of America strike against Hollywood’s studios, which, of course, was followed by the SAG-AFTRA work stoppage. Both strikes have since been settled.
During the “Today” interview, Johansson joked that one way she would be down with more Marvel would be to come back as a vampire or zombie version of Black Widow — an idea that doesn’t seem so far-fetched, given how MCU superheroes in zombie form have been featured in Marvel’s Disney+ series “What If … ?”
