It seems Marvel Studios President and Marvel Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige is very unhappy with Disney's handling of Black Widow and its response to Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit.
Matthew Belloni, the former Executive Editor for The Hollywood Reporter, reported on Feige's reaction to the Black Widow situation in his newsletter What I’m Hearing... "[Feige] is a businessman, and he is not prone to to corporate confrontations or shout fights. But I've heard he's angry and ashamed," Belloni wrote.
"He pressured Disney against the day and date plan for Black Widow, preferring the exclusivity of the big screen and not wanting to disturb his star," Belloni continued. "Then, when things got ugly, the movie began to fail and Johansson's team threatened to litigate, he wanted Disney to fix things with her."
This all came to light after a report published on July 29, revealing Johansson is suing Disney for allegedly breaching her contract by doing a day-and-date streaming and theatrical release for Marvel's Black Widow. The lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court states Marvel Entertainment guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release for Black Widow, with her salary based on the film's commercial performance. With the movie's box office diminished due to it also being available on Disney+ Premier Access, Johansson is projected to lose more than $50 million.
"It's no secret that Disney is releasing films like Black Widow directly onto Disney Plus to increase subscribers and thereby boost the company's stock price," said attorney John Berlinski, one of Johansson's representatives, alleging the company is using the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as a pretext for its actions. "There is no merit whatsoever to this filing," said Disney said in a statement. "The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic."
Belloni said he “won’t suggest Feige would leave Marvel over this,” but noted Feige is more important to Marvel Studios and Disney's future than Johansson, whose contract with the studios ended with Black Widow. Whether this impacts the way Disney resolves the situation, that remains to be seen.
Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow is available to view in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access.
Source: Matthew Belloni, via Screen Crush