ScarJo lawsuit aftermath: Bautista jokes; Rock says won't sue Disney
Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit against Disney for releasing Black Widow simultaneously on Disney Plus and in theaters is garnering much dialogue and speculation. While Cruella-star Emma Stone was reportedly considering walking down a similar path and several stars having shown Johansson support, mock attacks have also started spewing now. Separately, Dwayne Johnson has clarified that he'll not be suing Disney over Jungle Cruise's simultaneous release.
Was Dave Bautista's joke a slight hit at Johansson?
On July 30, actor Dave Bautista, who plays Drax in the Marvel movies, shared a news link on the Johansson-Disney debacle. He wrote, "Told em they should've made a #Drax movie but noooooo!" This implies he'd asked Disney/Marvel to make a solo movie for Drax, which was flagged off. Also, it suggests he wouldn't have sued the corporation like his Avengers: Endgame co-star did.
The Rock is not likely to follow Johansson's example
Meanwhile, Deadline reported that Johnson or his production company Seven Bucks Productions won't be following ScarJo's example, as Jungle Cruise continues to enjoy impressive numbers in its first weekend. Like Black Widow, the Amazonian adventure movie was simultaneously dropped on Disney's streamer and in theaters. Earlier, Johnson's co-star Emily Blunt was reported to speak out against Disney. However, no such outrage has come yet.
Disney's release technique apparently affected Johansson's total income
To give you a refresher, the actress, who has played Natasha Romanoff for over a decade, claimed Disney "intentionally" violated their agreement by making the film available to rent for about $30 on Disney+. Johansson's earning was dependent on the ticket sales, but low prices on the streamer affected theater pull. The firm called the lawsuit "sad and distressing" for disregarding effects of COVID-19.
Agencies criticized Disney's move of unveiling Johansson's earning
Disney's statement raised eyebrows, especially since their theme parks remain open and they have also reportedly pushed California to reopen Disneyland by relaxing COVID-19 norms. Criticism also came for mentioning Johansson's salary and implying she was disregarding the impact of pandemic. Her agency, Creative Artists Agency, said, "[Disney has] shamelessly and falsely accused Ms. Johansson of being insensitive to the global COVID pandemic."
'Her salary was included to weaponize her success'
"The company included her salary in their press statement in an attempt to weaponize her success as an artist and businesswoman, as if that were something she should be ashamed of," Bryan Lourd, co-chairman of the Creative Artists Agency, said.
