Disney Lawyer Calls Scarlett Johansson's Lawsuit a 'PR Campaign,' SAG-AFTRA President Slams the Studio

Disney’s longtime attorney Daniel Petrocelli is speaking out in response to Scarlett Johansson‘s lawsuit against the company because of the way Black Widow was released.

Scarlett filed a lawsuit against Disney because she says she’s missing out on potential bonuses she would have received the movie hitting certain box office benchmarks. The studio released the movie in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access on the same day, which she believes contributed to the film’s financial failure at the box office.

After the Disney lawyer’s comments were released, the president of actors union SAG-AFTRA spoke out and slammed Disney for their actions.

Click inside to read all of the comments…

The lawyer told Variety, “It is obvious that this is a highly orchestrated PR campaign to achieve an outcome that is not obtainable in the lawsuit. No amount of public pressure can change or obscure the explicit contractual commitments. The written contract is clear as a bell.”

Petrocelli detailed to Variety how Disney followed the guidelines of Scarlett‘s contract while releasing Black Widow. He also said that the Disney+ Premier Access revenue will be factored into the film’s overall gross to determine Scarlett‘s bonuses.

“We treated Disney Premier Access (revenue) like box office for the purposes of the bonus requirements in the contract. That only enhanced the economics for Ms. Johansson,” he said.

Petrocelli also discussed Disney’s reasoning for giving the film a day-and-date release. He said, “You had an unexpected COVID crisis and the studio was trying to accommodate millions of fans who are nervous and not comfortable going inside theaters. All studios have had to adjust.”

So, how does SAG-AFTRA feel about the controversy?

The union’s president Gabrielle Carteris just spoke out and slammed the studio, especially for the statement they released after the lawsuit was filed. She said, “Scarlett Johansson is shining a white-hot spotlight on the improper shifts in compensation that companies are attempting to slip by talent as distribution models change. Nobody in any field of work should fall victim to surprise reductions in expected compensation. It is unreasonable and unjust. Disney and other content companies are doing very well and can certainly live up to their obligations to compensate the performers whose art and artistry are responsible for the corporation’s profits.”

Carteris continued, “Women are not ‘callous’ when they stand up and fight for fair pay – they are leaders and champions for economic justice. Women have been victimized by pay inequity for decades, and they have been further victimized by comments like those in Disney’s press statements. These sorts of attacks have no place in our society and SAG-AFTRA will continue to defend our members from all forms of bias.”

Check out the statement that Scarlett‘s agent released last week.