Denis Villeneuve Defends Scarlett Johansson, Plans to Demand Theater Exclusivity for Future Contracts

Scarlett Johansson's decision to file a lawsuit against Disney is already being supported by several celebrities. Not surprisingly, Denis Villeneuve is defending the Black Widow actress against the House of Mouse. In addition to that, the Dune director also plans to add a clause for theatrical exclusivity in his future projects.

Johansson filed the lawsuit against Disney for the digital release of Black Widow which allegedly breached her contract which included the full theatrical release of the film. It's a situation that Villeneuve can relate to considering that his own movie Dune is expected to stream on HBO Max on the same day as its theatrical release.

Villeneuve recently spoke to La Presse where he discussed his upcoming project and expressed his full support for Johansson. "What would happen if the opposite happened and we did not respect the contracts that we signed on our side?" he asked in criticism of Disney breaching Johansson's contract.

The filmmaker went on to state that "it is wrong to believe that cinema on the big screen is not doing well" and that he has "nothing against [streaming] platforms" since they are "an extraordinary tool to give us access to the memory of cinema." Villeneuve then pointed out that "a film's career must first begin with the big screen."

"From now on, I will also contractually require my films to be released exclusively in theaters." Villeneuve said.

It shouldn't be a huge surprise that Villeneuve is on Johansson's side. After all, he had been strongly opposed to Dune being released on HBO Max and insisted that the film should be seen in theaters.

But will Villeneuve also file a lawsuit against Warner Bros. over Dune's digital release? For now, it seems unlikely but the filmmaker is determined to take action in order to avoid going through the same situation.

Black Widow is still streaming on Disney+ via Premier Access. Dune will screen in theaters and on HBO Max on October 22, 2021.

Related: Scarlett Johansson Fires Back at Disney After Arbitration Motion