Disney has fired back--at least verbally!--at a lawsuit filed against it by actress Scarlett Johansson, claiming the Black Widow star is showing "callous disregard" for the impact of the pandemic on the film industry.
“There is no merit whatsoever to this filing," Disney said in a statement, released Thursday, shortly after Johansson's suit was made public.
"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," Disney added.
Volleying a return, Johansson's agent, Bryan Lourd, said that Disney has "shamelessly and falsely accused 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."
Also read: ScarJo’s ‘Black Widow’ Lawsuit Against Disney Catches Pandemic Hollywood In Its Web
Johansson is suing Disney, claiming its decision to release Black Widow simultaneously as premium $30 extra on streaming service Disney Plus and in theaters harmed the performance of the theatrical release window, breaching a contract that was based on agreed-upon traditional benchmarks.
Johansson said the decision could end up costing her as much as $50 million.
