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The legal and public relations battle between Scarlett Johansson and the Walt Disney Company escalated on Friday morning as the actress’ talent agency came to her defense and slammed the media conglomerate for disclosing her salary in “a attempt to arm her success as an artist and businesswoman. “
The move comes less than 24 hours after Johansson stunned Hollywood by filing a breach of contract complaint against Disney over the company’s decision to release “Black Widow” simultaneously on Disney Plus and in theaters.
“I am referring to the Walt Disney Company statement that was released in response to the lawsuit filed against them yesterday by our client Scarlett Johansson,” Bryan Lourd, co-chairman of the Creative Artists Agency, said in a statement. The agent, a major middleman in the film industry, was furious that Disney had suggested the actress was ignoring the impact of a global pandemic on the entertainment industry.
“They shamelessly and falsely accused Ms Johansson of being insensitive to the global COVID pandemic, in an attempt to make her appear as someone they and I know she is not,” Lourd said. .
Lourd went on to note that Johansson has appeared in nine Disney and Marvel films, which he says have brought the company billions of dollars in ticket sales.
“The company included her salary in its press release in an attempt to arm her success as an artist and businesswoman, as if it was something she should be ashamed of,” added Lourd. “Scarlett is extremely proud of the work she and all of Marvel’s actors, writers, directors, producers and the creative team have been involved in for over a decade.”
“Disney’s direct attack on her character and all that it implied is underneath the business that many of us in the creative community have worked with successfully for decades,” added Lourd.
Johansson earned $ 20 million to appear in “Black Widow,” a spin-off of the lucrative Avengers series, according to a statement released Thursday by Disney. However, the actress’ legal team maintains that the company’s decision to make the film available for rent for $ 30 on Disney Plus depressed overall box office results, costing the actress tens of millions. potential bonuses linked to the sale of tickets. They argue that Johansson was guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release in his contract, which Disney violated when it introduced a hybrid distribution plan. Disney hit back Thursday in unusually personal terms, saying the actress’ claims were “baseless.”
“The lawsuit is particularly sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Disney statement read.
Johansson’s lawsuit could inspire other Disney film actors to take similar legal action against the company for sending films to Disney Plus and forgoing a traditional theatrical release.
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