Jason Blum Supports Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow Lawsuit

Hollywood producer and Blumhouse founder, Jason Blum has thrown his support behind Scarlett Johansson in her lawsuit against Disney. The Black Widow actress, who bowed out of the MCU after over 11 years with her first solo outing, filed a lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company last week over an alleged breach in regards to the film's release. Her contract specified a solely theatrical release, with Johansson receiving commission based on the box office performance of the film. Johansson claims Black Widow's hybrid release cost her $50 million and she claims Disney breached the contract.

Johansson had been concerned about the possibility of Black Widow being unceremoniously dumped on Disney+ even before the pandemic, with both her and her team now claiming that Disney never approached them to renegotiate her contract to accommodate the eventual hybrid release. Where other studios such as Warner Bros, who are releasing their entire slate of films for 2021 on HBO Max, had offered to buy out their actors' contracts to balance out the lowered box office revenue, Disney have made no such offer to their talent.

Since filing the lawsuit, many in Hollywood have backed Johansson, with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige apparently furious over Disney's handling of the situation and Emma Stone reportedly considering a similar lawsuit in regards to the hybrid release of Cruella back in May. Now Blum, producer behind horror films like Get Out, The Forever Purge, and the Halloween reboots, has voiced his support of Johansson. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter as part of their write up of reactions to the lawsuit, Blum said that “it’s a much bigger existential fight that she’s really leading. It’s a very difficult thing to do, it’s really brave to do and she’s fighting for all of talent.”

Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff on Vormir in Avengers Endgame

The producer further stated he believes that Johansson's lawsuit is just the beginning of a pushback against what he deems an unsustainable system being undertaken by studios, believing that streaming platforms should share revenue with talent rather than offering up-front fees. While he acknowledges his own hypocrisy, having signed a deal with Universal to produce three Exorcist films for a flat fee, Blum stated:

“What the streamers are betting on is that in the next three to five years, there will only be three or four [of them] left pumping content into homes, and they’ll be so powerful that they will be able to push the price down of producing, of paying talent, of paying producers, of paying writers, directors. I personally don’t think they’ll be able to do it, but that’s what they’re betting on.”

It was pushback from talent that resulted in Warner Bros offering to compensate their talent for the hybrid releases of their films like The Suicide Squad, as well as promising to solely focus on theatrical releases in 2022. The difference is that Disney are notoriously difficult to contend with on a legal battlefield, and it remains to be seen if Johansson even has a leg to stand on. If Johansson's lawsuit leads to further action against Disney by its talent, then the studio's hand may be forced but for the time being it seems as though Disney will weather the storm. Regardless, the entire affair has been a bad look for Disney, especially in their initial response to the lawsuit which essentially hinged on defaming Johansson's character.

Disney CEO, Bob Chapek has received a great deal of criticism for having little to no experience in handling talent relations, having previously worked in consumer relations and theme parks, and the response to Johansson is just another example of that. The concern by the likes of Blum, Feige, and Johansson on the impact of a shift towards streaming platforms are certainly warranted though, not just on the effect it will have on the cinemas, but on the relationship between creatives and studios as well. This doesn't matter to Chapek though, as he seems more focused on increasing revenue and stock prices through Disney+, so it's entirely possible that Black Widow's release is just the tip of the iceberg of what is to come later down the line.

More: What Scarlett Johansson's Lawsuit Means For Disney, Marvel & Hollywood/Streaming

Source: THR