It looks like Bob Chapek (and by extension: Disney) is holding nothing back in their battle with Scarlett Johansson and her lawsuit against them. Not when they’re actively attacking her in backhanded ways in their own earnings report.
According to Deadline, Disney CEO Bob Chapek made several announcements in their Q3 earnings report. However, the most relevant are those announcements about Scarlett Johansson and her lawsuit. Disney doesn’t actually address the lawsuit directly. However, after praising Black Widow as “the top performing film at the domestic box office since the start of the pandemic”, Disney then goes on to say that they will always do “what we believe is in the best interest of the film and the best interest of our constituents”.
Furthermore, Bob Chapek then goes on to launch another assault on Scarlett Johansson by saying:
We’ve figured out ways to fairly compensate our talent and since Covid has begun we have entered into hundreds of talent arrangements with our talent and by and large they have gone very, very smoothly.
Scarlett Johansson Lawsuit: Under Concentrated Fire From Disney
Those 2 announcements from Bob Chapek, taken together, paints a pretty scorched-earth pattern of attack for Disney against Scarlett Johansson. The 1st announcement basically states that Disney will do whatever it wants when releasing their films. They don’t have to answer to anyone, including the actors and actresses playing in the film. Whether Disney wants a theatrical release, a Disney+ release, or a simultaneous release; what Disney says goes. End of discussion. Seriously, that couldn’t have better coming out of an evil overlord. It bodes very ill for anyone working for Disney on any project.
However, it’s the 2nd announcement that more directly concerns Scarlett Johansson and her lawsuit against Disney. It basically amounts to Disney saying: “We have many more actors and actresses just like you, who are perfectly willing to accept lower wages. You have no chance against us, so just give up.” In short, Disney is now hiring strikebreakers to break Johansson’s will. Hopefully, she continues her lawsuit, because this kind of toxic attitude from Disney would not work out well for actors and actresses in the future, if Disney is allowed to continue to behave this way
Conclusion
Disney CEO Bob Chapek decided to launch some backhanded attacks against Scarlett Johansson and her lawsuit against them over Black Widow. Right in Disney’s own Q3 2021 earnings report, no less. Yeah, this means Disney is taking the lawsuit seriously, but in the worst possible way. Don’t give up, Black Widow and co.! Stay determined!
Source: Deadline
