Emma Stone "Weighing Options" Over Cruella After Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow Lawsuit Against Disney

Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney over what she and her team say is a breach of her contract. As [...]

By Adam Barnhardt

Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney over what she and her team say is a breach of her contract. As it turns out, she's not the only one lashing out against Hollywood. Friday afternoon, news surfaced suggesting Gerard Butler and his team were doing something similar against the producers of Olympus Has Fallen. Now, one insider suggests Emma Stone is playing a waiting game before deciding how to proceed on obtaining additional royalties and back-end pay regarding her performance in Disney's Cruella.

Stone's path is nearly identical to Johansson's, as both were reportedly due a significant portion of their pay from the back-end box office receipts once their respective films debuted. Since both Cruella and Black Widow were released in theaters and on Disney+ at the same time as a theatrical release, the common thought is the streaming release severely damaged total back-end hauls.

Former THR editor and entertainment lawyer Matt Belloni says both Stone and Emily Blunt could be watch numbers continue to come in before deciding whether they'd sue their respective studios. Blunt appeared in A Quiet Place II earlier this summer and also happens to be in Jungle Cruise, the Disney blockbuster heading to Disney+ Premier Access this weekend.

"There is an unusually high amount of cheering going on today in the talent community, which indicates these issues aren't going away anytime soon. Disney is notoriously difficult to deal with, and has become even more so under [Disney CEO Bob] Chapek," Belloni wrote in a newsletter on Friday. "Agents and lawyers have been waiting a long time for someone of Johansson's stature to take a stand publicly. Emma Stone, star of Cruella, is said to be weighing her options, and Emily Blunt, who raised a similar gripe over the much more favorable windowing strategy on Paramount's A Quiet Place Part II, is likely watching the Jungle Cruise numbers closely this weekend. Writers, directors, stars, and others have been reaching out to their reps, asking how they can help. The floodgates might be opening."

Belloni does note that Johansson's case will likely settle out of court so as not to cause an extended PR nightmare. Regardless, the insider says, there could be a new wave of reckoning on its way in the coming weeks.

Cruella is now in theaters and available for purchase on Disney+ Premier Access.

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