In a shocking move, it was announced on July 29 that Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney over the release of Marvel Studios’ Black Widow. Initially detailed in a report by the Wall Street Journal, Johansson filed a lawsuit, alleging her contract was breached when Disney released the newest MCU installment on Disney+ alongside its traditional theater debut.
The fact that an actor of Johansson’s caliber would go up against a major media conglomerate like Disney is undoubtedly worth digging into, but furthermore, it certainly appears as if she has a legitimate case. THere’s definitely some prior precedent regarding how companies like Universal and WarnerMedia have handled the changes in releasing films during the COVID-19 pandemic. With this in mind, we’ve put together a handy explainer of how Johansson, her team, and Disney all ended up here in the first place and what the future may bring as this lawsuit continues to unfold.