The legal battle between Scarlett Johansson and Disney is beginning to get messy. A lawyer representing Disney has just claimed that the Black Widow star's lawsuit is "a highly orchestrated PR campaign" that aims to make the House of Mouse give her additional royalties for the Marvel Cinematic Universe flick.
It all started when Disney decided to give Black Widow a digital release instead of a fully theatrical release due to COVID-19. At first, it looked like the Marvel star was happy to go along with the plan but later decided to file a lawsuit against Disney for breaching her contract.
Daniel Petrocelli has been representing Disney for a long time and the lawyer recently spoke to Variety about the lawsuit. Interestingly, Petrocelli believes that Johansson has a very particular reason for suing Disney.
"It is obvious that this is a highly orchestrated PR campaign to achieve an outcome that is not obtainable in the lawsuit," Petrocelli stated. "No amount of public pressure can change or obscure the explicit contractual commitments. The written contract is clear as a bell."
This isn't the first time that Disney has lashed out at Johansson. A previous statement from the House of Mouse called the lawsuit "sad and distressing" and went as far as calling the actress "callous" for her demands to be paid more amidst "the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic."
For now, it is unclear what will happen now that the lawsuit has been filed. However, there are speculations that the matter will be settled quietly in the next few weeks.
Johansson's lawsuit has also led to other stars reconsidering their plans with Disney. It was previously reported that Cruella star Emma Stone is also thinking about suing the House of Mouse and Emily Blunt might be doing the same thing after Jungle Cruise got a digital release on Disney+.
Black Widow is still screening in theaters and on Disney+.
Related: Scarlett Johansson Reportedly Sued Disney Because Black Widow Isn't Set for MCU Return
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