Avengers: Endgame Director Joe Russo Comments on Scarlett Johansson Black Widow Lawsuit

Avengers: Endgame director Joe Russo commented on the Scarlett Johansson Black Widow lawsuit. The Marvel actress sued Disney after the decision was made to release her movie at home and in theaters at the same time. Russo told Variety that a lot of that conflict drew from the underlying anxiety of the pandemic. “There’s a lot of tension, just like there is in a lot of industries, because there’s a lot of disruption,” the filmmaker explained. “People’s nerves are fraying, and it’s hard to predict what’s going to happen or where anything is going.” That sentence should be instantly relatable to a lot of the people reading this article. Theater landscapes have been forever changed by the pandemic and ensuing fallout. Fans had a legitimate reason to be a little concerned that theaters wouldn’t be viable anymore after an entire year without them operating. The specter of at-home viewing loomed large as well. Fast forward to the last few months and there is some room to breathe with the success of the latest Bond film, Shang-Chi, and Venom. 

He said, “I’m glad that the lawsuit’s resolved. I do think it was indicative of significant change that’s been happening. The resolution speaks volumes about the respect for artists moving forward in this changing landscape.”

“Corporations are panicking at the moment, because I think that half the studios are going to disappear in the next 5-10 years, and the game has changed dramatically,” Russo added. “There are content producers who can outspend any studio, and it’s just a rounding error for them, because they’re $1 trillion companies. We’ve never seen that before in the business.”

Luckily for all parties involved, they came to an agreement and can get back to making these films. “I’m very pleased that we have been able to come to a mutual agreement with Scarlett Johansson regarding Black Widow,” Disney Studios Content Chairman Alan Bergman said in a statement tonight. “We appreciate her contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and look forward to working together on a number of upcoming projects, including Disney’s Tower of Terror.”

Johansson would add, “I am happy to have resolved our differences with Disney. I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done together over the years and have greatly enjoyed my creative relationship with the team. I look forward to continuing our collaboration in years to come.” 

Are you happy about the lawsuit being resolved? Is Russo right here? Let us know down in the comments!