The Russo Brothers May Be Done Making Marvel Movies
Scarlett Johansson’s recent lawsuit against Disney over Black Widow’s release continues to cause ripples in the entertainment industry. The impact has even reached Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors behind monstrous Marvel hits Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Russo brothers were in talks to to return for another superhero movie, but those discussions hit an “impasse in negotiations” as the brothers questioned whether or not Marvel would release their film directly to Disney+.
In July of this year, Johansson sued Disney after the studio made Black Widow available on Disney+ via their Premier Access feature while the movie was still in theaters. While Black Widow grossed fairly well at the box office for a post-pandemic release — earning over $372 million worldwide — there’s no doubt that those numbers would be higher in a pre-Covid world. Since a good portion of Johansson’s earnings were tied to the film's success in theaters, the actress claims she lost out on millions of dollars. Now that she’s bringing the issue to court, Disney is pushing back.
It’s hard to fully know the extent of the Russo brothers’ hesitance towards Disney, as this information comes from “people familiar with the matter.” However, considering Disney’s animosity towards Johansson’s claims, it's not surprising that the Russo brothers might not be so keen on following the studio’s straight-to-streaming release model. We also don’t know how serious their discussions with Disney were, nor which character — or characters — the movie would focus on.
As Johansson’s lawsuit unfolds, we’ll see the lasting effects the ordeal has on Hollywood, specifically the future of Marvel movies.