Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch is the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe actor to weigh in on Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit against Disney over Black Widow's day and date release in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access.
Shortly after Johansson's lawyers announced the lawsuit on July 29, Disney's legal representatives fired back, calling it "callous [in its] disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects" of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “It’s sad what’s going on between the lawyers,” Cumberbatch told The Hollywood Reporter. “Just the verbiage and the accusations of, ‘Put it in a global pandemic context.’ The whole thing’s just a bit of a mess."
Johansson's lawsuit alleges that Disney "intentionally" breached her contract by granting Black Widow a dual release without giving her a chance to renegotiate her deal, costing her as much as $50 million. "We’re trying to understand what the revenue streams should be for artists that contribute to the billion-dollar business that is Disney. And it has to be contractualized," Cumberbatch said. "How does an artist’s normal compensation with box office bonuses, how does it work? It’s a new paradigm, and it’s a very complex one."
After being originally scheduled to open in theaters in May 2020, Black Widow saw its release date move back multiple times as a direct result of the continuing health crisis, culminating in Disney's decision to scrap its theatrical-exclusive run in favor of a hybrid release. "No one saw this coming, and no one should use hindsight to say, ‘Well, it should have been done.’ That was the first of these films that was going to get a cinematic release during the pandemic and got stalled and stalled and stalled. It’s very new territory," Cumberbatch added.
Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch in the MCU, was more outspoken than her Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness co-star in supporting Johansson's lawsuit during an interview in August, stating, "I think she's so tough and literally when I read that I was like, 'Good for you Scarlett.'" And while Olsen admitted to not knowing how the streaming of blockbuster films works financially for theaters, "[When] it comes to actors and their earnings, I mean, that's just, that's just all contracts. So it's either in the contract, or it's not."
Cumberbatch and Olsen will share the screen when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opens in theaters on March 25, 2022.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter