Scarlett Johansson Black Widow Marvel Trial: Disney CEO Speaks

The covid-19 pandemic has come a long way forcing Hollywood to change lanes he watches movie releases, for better or for worse, and how to adapt to this change is not always done amicably. As Disney continues to try to sort out its ongoing legal battle with marvel Black Widow star scarlett johaHowever, behind closed doors, CEO Bob Chapek spoke about how the case shows how the studio and the industry as a whole must adapt to the times.

Deadline reports Chapek publicly discussed the situation with Johansson — who sues Disney for an alleged breach of his contract concerning simultaneity release of Black Widow earlier this year in theaters and as part of Disney + ‘s Premier Access service at Goldman Sachs’ 30th Annual Communacopia Conference. But while Chapek wouldn’t directly name Johansson or even his trial (a trial which, after denigrating him as an attempt to take advantage of a poor studio worth $ 122.18 billion during a global pandemic, the studio is now seeks to settle in private), the CEO acknowledged that the last few years have changed the way studios should approach talent deals.

“We’re in a time when movies were viewed with a common understanding of what the world would be like, because frankly that hadn’t changed much,” Chapek said. “Remember, these movies were made three or four years ago; these agreements were made three or four years ago. Then they are launched in the midst of a global pandemic where this pandemic itself is accelerating a second dynamic, which is this change in consumer behavior. So we’re sort of putting a square peg in a round hole right now where we have a deal designed under a certain set of conditions, which actually results in a movie coming out under a completely different set of conditions.

Chapek is right in that it goes beyond the impact the pandemic has had on Hollywood and the theater industry to show the pace at which filmmaking has changed – it’s not just the hybrid releases that have happened, but so are the platforms on which these releases occur in the first place. Four years ago, services like Disney +, HBO Max, Apple TV + and Paramount + were all still big ideas in the works, not to mention the services that would suddenly become the first major platforms for tentpole blockbusters for the studios behind them. The movement towards studio-owned streaming and the public’s desire to stay home to limit the spread of a deadly virus created a punch that not even a force like the House of the Mouse could have predicted and prepared when deals for films like Black Widow were first under development.

But that’s just an excuse as no one, Disney or otherwise, could have seen the state of 2020-2021 arrive. This doesn’t excuse the way Disney initially tried to address Johans.her son’s grievances, nor what the studio will do in the future in this new normal. But Chapek at least paid homage to what probably should be a staple concept for Disney at this point: it should be. doing good by the people who work for him. “At the end of the day, we’ll think about it as we make our future talent deals and plan for that and make sure it’s incorporated. But right now we have that kind of middle position, where we try to do well through talent, I think talent tries to do well through us, and we are just looking for our way to bridge the gap, ”Chapek said. concluded. “At the end of the day, we believe our talent is our most important asset, and we will continue to believe it, and as we always have, we will compensate them fairly according to the terms of the contract with which they agreed to us. “

I would say that maybe don’t say your aggrieved movie stars have an “insensitive disregard” for the times we live in is a good place to start believing that these stars are your most important asset, but then again I’m not worth $ 122.18 billion, so what do I know.

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