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Tag: Black Widow

  • Scarlett Johansson has no plans to return to Marvel

    By Express News Service

    Scarlett Johansson, who first appeared as Black Widow in Iron Man 2 (2010) before moving on to star in The Avengers films and Black Widow in 2021, has stated that she has no plans to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the future.

    Speaking at The Goop Podcast to Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett said, “Yeah, it was awesome. It was like the best time ever. I mean, doing Avengers was so much fun. I was 26 years old, I was single, and it was fun! You know, I didn’t have any responsibility to anybody but to just enjoy yourself.” Further, she said, “And then every couple of years, we would go back, and do it again, and all be in different places in our lives. Like, somebody would have a kid or be getting married, or divorced, or remarried, or whatever. And it was like, I don’t know, an adult summer camp thing. And it was cool. It was really, really some of the best experiences.”

    Lastly, she confirmed, “I’m done. Yes, I’m done. The chapter is over. I did all that I had to do. Also, coming back and playing a character again and again like that, over a decade of time, is such a unique experience.”

    (This story originally appeared on Cinema Express)

    Scarlett Johansson, who first appeared as Black Widow in Iron Man 2 (2010) before moving on to star in The Avengers films and Black Widow in 2021, has stated that she has no plans to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the future.

    Speaking at The Goop Podcast to Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett said, “Yeah, it was awesome. It was like the best time ever. I mean, doing Avengers was so much fun. I was 26 years old, I was single, and it was fun! You know, I didn’t have any responsibility to anybody but to just enjoy yourself.”
     
    Further, she said, “And then every couple of years, we would go back, and do it again, and all be in different places in our lives. Like, somebody would have a kid or be getting married, or divorced, or remarried, or whatever. And it was like, I don’t know, an adult summer camp thing. And it was cool. It was really, really some of the best experiences.”

    Lastly, she confirmed, “I’m done. Yes, I’m done. The chapter is over. I did all that I had to do. Also, coming back and playing a character again and again like that, over a decade of time, is such a unique experience.”googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    (This story originally appeared on Cinema Express)

  • Rami Malek, Florence Pugh and Benny Safdie join Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Oscar-winner Rami Malek, “Black Widow” star Florence Pugh and actor-filmmaker Benny Safdie are the latest additions to “Oppenheimer”, Christopher Nolan’s next directorial project.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, the three actors join previously announced cast members Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr and Matt Damon in the film.

    The Universal Pictures project is a biopic of J Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist remembered as one of the fathers of the atom bomb.

    Murphy is set to star as J Robert Oppenheimer and Emily Blunt as his wife Katherine.

    Pugh will essay the role of Jean Tatlock, a member of the Communist Party of the United States who has an off-and-on affair with Oppenheimer and was the cause of major security concerns for government officials.

    Safdie will play Edward Teller, the Hungarian physicist who is known as the father of the hydrogen bomb and a member of the Manhattan Project, the US research initiative that developed the first atomic bomb.

    Malek will feature in the movie as a scientist.

    “Oppenheimer” is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer” by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin.

    Christopher Nolan will write and direct the film, while his creative partner and wife Emma Thomas will produce with Charles Roven of Atlas Entertainment.

    The studio has described the film as an “epic thriller that thrusts audiences into the pulse-pounding paradox of the enigmatic man who must risk destroying the world in order to save it”.

    Nolan’s last film was “Tenet”, the 2020 globetrotting espionage film starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Kenneth Branagh and Elizabeth Debicki, among others. 

  • Scarlett Johansson says her ‘Black Widow’ controversy with Disney had ‘positive impact’ on industry

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Golden Globe winning actor Scarlett Johansson recently opened about her recent ‘Black Widow’ controversy with Disney, and how her lawsuit helped in bringing a ‘positive’ impact in Hollywood.

    People magazine obtained Johansson’s recent quotes from her recent media interaction at the 35th annual American Cinematheque tribute in her honor at the Beverly Hilton Hotel where she was accompanied by her husband Colin Jost.

    Johansson told The Hollywood Reporter that the lawsuit, filed in late July, “was a very surreal time because, of course, the film had come out and was hugely successful and that was a big celebration.”

    “I had a baby and that was obviously a life-changing, amazing, celebratory thing,” said Johansson, who welcomed son Cosmo four months ago. She is also a mother to daughter 7-year-old daughter Rose.

    She added, “In a way, that sort of buoyed me through the very uncertain, stressful time. I feel mostly very fortunate that nobody will have to go through what I went through and that it’s made, I think, a positive impact in the industry and hopefully for artists and creatives’ lives and livelihood.”

    “I have had some of the best times of my career working for both of those studios. I feel really excited that I get to continue my work with Disney and with my Marvel family,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.

    Johansson also revealed that she was “already in the thick of it” on projects like ‘Tower of Terror’ at Disney and “some other projects that we’re working on. I get to continue to dream over there,” she told the outlet.

    The Marvel star filed the lawsuit in late July, claiming Disney had breached her contract when it released this summer’s blockbuster ‘Black Widow’ on its Disney plus OTT streaming service at the same time that it was released in movie theatres.

    In September, the 37-year-old actor and the conglomerate reached a settlement, although the terms were not disclosed.

  • ‘Stranger Things’ star David Harbour boards holiday thriller ‘Violent Night’

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: “Stranger Things” star David Harbour is set to star in the coal-dark holiday thriller “Violent Night” from Universal Pictures.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, the feature film will be helmed by Norwegian director Tommy Wirkola known for movies like “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters” and “Dead Snow”.

    Wirkola will direct “Violent Night” from an original screenplay by Pat Casey and Josh Miller, the writing team behind “Sonic the Hedgehog”.

    The film is produced by 87North’s Kelly McCormick and David Leitch.

    Universal will distribute the film, which will be theatrically released on December 2, 2022, in all territories.

    Harbour was last seen in Marvel Cinematic Universe’s superhero film “Black Widow”.

    He will reprise his role as Jim Hopper in the fourth season of the popular sci-fi drama series “Stranger Things”, which will premiere on Netflix in summer 2022.

  • Scarlett Johansson and Disney settle lawsuit over ‘Black Widow’ lawsuit

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson and studio Disney have settled her lawsuit over the release of the actor’s superhero movie “Black Widow”.

    Though the terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, Johansson said she is happy to have resolved her “differences with Disney”, reported Variety.

    “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,” the actor said in a statement on Thursday.

    Disney Studios chair Alan Bergman said the studio is also pleased to reach a resolution with the actor.

    “I’m very pleased that we have been able to come to a mutual agreement with Scarlett Johansson regarding ‘Black Widow’. 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’,” he said.

    Johansson had sued Disney for breach of contract over the company’s decision to release “Black Widow” standalone film on Disney Plus and in theatres simultaneously.

    In the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in July, the actor contended that the streaming release of the Marvel Studios-backed movie breached her contract and deprived her of potential earnings.

    “Black Widow”, featuring Johansson as the titular superhero, released in the theatres and on Disney’s streaming platform on July 9.

    The actor’s lawyer said in the lawsuit that her contract guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release, with her potential earnings tied to the box office performance of the film.

    At the time, The Walt Disney Co. had responded to Johansson’s lawsuit via a statement in which the studio said that the litigation showed a callous disregard to the COVID-19 pandemic and even revealed that she has so far received USD 20 million from the project.

    “There is no merit whatsoever to this filing.

    The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

    “Disney has fully complied with Ms Johansson’s contract and furthermore, the release of ‘Black Widow’ on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the 20M she has received to date,” a Disney spokesperson had said.

    In August, Disney revealed in a filing that “Black Widow” had grossed USD 125 million on streaming, in addition to its USD 367 million box office gross.

    Directed by Cate Shortland, “Black Widow” also featured actors Rachel Weisz, David Harbour and Florence Pugh.

  • Disney’s Marvel unit files lawsuits to keep rights to ‘Avengers’ characters from copyright termination

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Disney’s Marvel unit has filed lawsuits to acquire full control of ‘Avengers’ characters including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Black Widow and others.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, the complaints come against the heirs of some late comic book geniuses including Stan Lee, Steve Ditko and Gene Colan.

    The legal document seeks “declaratory relief that these blockbuster characters are ineligible for copyright termination as works made for hire.” Reportedly, if Marvel loses, Disney would have to share ownership of characters worth billions.

    Marvel has faced terminations from Ditko as well as Larry Lieber’s (who worked at Marvel as a writer, too) estate.

    In August, the administrator of Ditko’s estate filed a notice of termination on Spider-Man, which first appeared in comic book form in 1962. Under the termination provisions of copyright law, authors or their heirs can reclaim rights once granted to publishers after waiting a statutory set period of time. According to the termination notice, Marvel would have to give up Ditko’s rights to its iconic character in June 2023, reported The Hollywood Reporter.

    Larry also filed termination notices to Marvel in May.

    The heirs of the comic book creators (including Black Widow creator Don Rico) are being represented by Marc Toberoff, who had also represented Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster in an unsuccessful termination attempt against DC which saved off termination by counterclaiming against Toberoff.

    As per The Hollywood Reporter, Dan Petrocelli represented the publisher at that time and will be representing Disney for the new case.

    Petrocelli has already filed several lawsuits against Lieber, Don Heck, Patrick Ditko, Don Rico and Keith Dettwiler. The cases will focus on the creation of famous comic book characters and who should be deemed the statutory author.

    One of the complaints filed on Friday asserted, “Marvel had the right to exercise creative control over Lieber’s contributions and paid Lieber a per-page rate for his work.”

    If the plaintiffs win, Disney would have to share profits with the others and hold on to at least a share of character rights as co-owners.

    As per The Hollywood Reporter, the termination provisions of copyright law only apply in the United States, allowing Disney to continue to control and profit from foreign exploitation.

  • We all secretly wonder about starring in a superhero film: ‘Black Widow’ star Florence Pugh

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Hollywood star Florence Pugh says she considers her role of Yelena Belova in “Black Widow” a new chapter in her film career, adding she was “totally nervous” to take on a famous comic book character.

    Pugh, 25, started out with independent projects like “The Falling” and “Lady Macbeth” before making an international breakthrough with the horror film “Midsommar” and Greta Gerwig’s feature adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women”.

    “In terms of the films that I was doing before, this is obviously a different step and a step that takes on its own new challenges. And there’s a lot of pressure joining films like these.

    “I think we all secretly watch these movies and wonder when our superhero film is gonna be and what superhero we’re gonna be, and at what age we’re gonna do it,” Pugh said responding to a question by PTI during a round table interview.

    “Black Widow”, which started streaming on Disney+ Hotstar from September 3 in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada, is set before the events of the 2019 film “Avengers: Endgame”.

    The recent released movie, directed by Cate Shortland, sees Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confront the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises.

    She is forced to deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships in her wake long before she became an Avenger.

    As Yelena, Pugh’s character looks up to Romanoff as a sister figure.

    She is also trained as a Black Widow and will take over the mantle from Johansson, who played the character for over a decade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

    The British actor said she is happy that her superhero film had Johansson and Shortland at the helm, who were some of the people she always wanted to work with.

    “This is a completely different chapter. And I think when these films are done, you know, with the amount of effort and love and skill that this one did, they have the potential to be really powerful movies and seen by a lot of people,” she added.

    Pugh said the film’s subject deals with familial relationships, a storyline and subject she would have agreed to even if it were not a superhero movie.

    “But yeah, when I got the role, I was very, very excited. I was totally nervous about the fact that I was now getting to play a very famous comic book character.

    “And instantly, just being classic me, I was totally worried about if people were going to appreciate me as a casting choice for Yelena, if they were going to be disappointed with the choices that I made as this character,” the actor said.

    Asked if there was a particular character from the vast Marvel universe that she wanted to team up with, Pugh said it was challenging to pick just one.

    “I’ve always been intrigued by the Scarlet Witch (played by Elizabeth Olsen). Just because I really like how equally bizarre she is as well.

    “I think if Yelena were to bump into anyone from the MCU who is just as opinionated and in love of taking the p*** out of every single one of them, then I think she’d probably find Loki (essayed by Tom Hiddleston) very interesting because he kind of does that too,” she added.

    “Black Widow” also stars Rachel Weisz and David Harbour.

    Meanwhile, Johansson is fighting a legal battle with The Walt Disney Company, Marvel’s parent organisation, over the release of “Black Widow” on its streaming platform before it had spent a certain period of time in theatres.

  • Scarlett Johansson’s talent agency, advocacy organisations condemn Disney’s response on ‘Black Widow’ contract breach lawsuit

    By ANI
    WASHINGTON: Amid the ongoing legal and public relations battle between Disney and Scarlett Johansson, Women in Film, Los Angeles, ReFrame and Time’s Up, along with her talent agency CAA have come out in support of the ‘Black Widow’ actor.

    The USD 319.8 billion entertainment media conglomerate had called Johansson’s ‘Black Widow’ breach of contract lawsuit a “callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

    Disney also disclosed her base salary of USD 20M for the Marvel Cinematic Universe film exclaiming that the Disney Plus with Premier Access will compensate her well enough.

    According to Deadline, responding to this, the advocacy organizations, issued a joint statement calling Disney’s characterization of Scarlett Johansson a “gendered character attack.”

    The statement read, “While we take no position on the business issues in the litigation between Scarlett Johansson and The Walt Disney Company, we stand firmly against Disney’s recent statement which attempts to characterize Johansson as insensitive or selfish for defending her contractual business rights.”

    Calling out Disney, the statement further continued, “This gendered character attack has no place in a business dispute and contributes to an environment in which women and girls are perceived as less able than men to protect their own interests without facing ad hominem criticism.”

    The two-time Oscar nominee’s agency, CAA’s co-chairman Bryan Lourd also blasted Disney earlier in a statement for shaming her publicly and “deliberately” moving “the revenue stream and profits” of ‘Black Widow’ “to the Disney Plus side of the company leaving artistic and financial partners out of their new equation.” He also slammed the media conglomerate for leaking her salary in “an attempt to weaponize her success as an artist and businesswoman.”

    The agent, who is one of the foremost power brokers in the film industry, was incensed that Disney implied the actor was disregarding the impact of a global pandemic on the entertainment business.

    “They have shamelessly and falsely accused Ms Johansson of being insensitive to the global COVID pandemic, in an attempt to make her appear to be someone they and I know she isn’t,” Lourd said.

    Lourd went on to note that Johansson has appeared in nine Disney and Marvel movies, which he said have earned the company billions of dollars in ticket sales.

    “Disney’s direct attack on her character and all else they implied is beneath the company that many of us in the creative community have worked with successfully for decades,” Lourd added.

    In addition to this, Johansson got support from other celebrities, who pounced on media conglomerate for making an issue of her pay when its own executives are so highly compensated. Alec Baldwin tweeted, “Remarkable to read Disney execs bashing SJ over large salaries…”

    Those profiting off ‘Black Widow’ the most, per the lawsuit, are Disney titans CEO Bob Chapek and executive chairman Bob Iger, who reaped big money tied to the success of Disney Plus.

    Johansson had filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Marvel owner Disney, claiming that putting the film on Disney Plus caused her to lose out on considerable bonuses.

    Disney struck back, saying the lawsuit showed her “callous disregard” for the pandemic,” and also stated that the star has already been paid USD 20 million for her work on the film.

    “There is no merit whatsoever to this filing,” Disney said. The company also claimed that the release of ‘Black Widow’ on Disney Plus with Premier Access “significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation.”

    The actor’s contract with Disney called for a worldwide theatrical release, much like other MCU movies. Reports claim that Johansson lost more than USD 50M in Disney’s dynamic window experiment, which yielded a first-weekend global PVOD and theatrical weekend for ‘Black Widow’ of USD 218M, which is a low gross for an MCU title, that typically churns out of late over USD 1 billion.

    Johansson holds starring credits in seven MCU movies that have amassed USD 10.3 billion at the global box office. Separately she had a voice-over role in Disney’s live-action version of ‘The Jungle Book’ which grossed USD 966.6M worldwide.

  • Marvel’s Scarlett Johansson-starrer ‘Black Widow’ soars to pandemic box office record

    By Associated Press
    Even with an option to watch “Black Widow” at home, audiences went to the movie theater in pandemic record numbers this weekend to catch the first Marvel movie released in two years. 

    The Walt Disney Co. said on Sunday, July 11, 2021, the superhero pic generated an estimated $80 million in ticket sales in North America. Combined with $78 million from international theaters and at least $60 million in Disney+ Premier Access rentals, “Black Widow” grossed over $215 million in its first weekend. The studio said it’s the largest domestic opening weekend since “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” debuted in 2019, pre-pandemic. 

    It’s a massive win for coronavirus-era moviegoing. In North America, the previous pandemic record-holder was Universal’s “F9,” which debuted to $70 million a few weeks ago. But unlike “Black Widow,” which is playing on 4,100 screens, the ninth “Fast & Furious” movie was exclusively in theaters. 

    “This was a pretty monumental weekend for the industry,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst. “‘Black Widow’ played well on big screens and small screens. And it actually strengthens the case for movie theaters.”

    Dergarabedian noted that the vast majority of profits, $158.8 million, came from theaters. Around $12 million of that came from IMAX screens too.

    “Hollywood blockbusters continue to gain ground at the box office with each successive release, and that bodes very well for the many films lined up for exclusive worldwide theatrical release this fall and beyond,” said Rich Gelfond the CEO of IMAX.

    “Black Widow,” starring Scarlett Johansson, has had a long journey to theaters. Originally slated to come out in May of 2020, the blockbuster was delayed because of the pandemic. Disney ultimately decided to release it “day and date,” meaning it came out on more than one platform at the same time. “Black Widow,” in theaters and for a $30 rental on its subscription streaming service Disney+. Although not unprecedented for pandemic movie releases, or even for Disney, which did the same for “Cruella,” it’s the first Marvel movie to attempt the hybrid strategy. And it’s by far the biggest earner to date. 

    It is unusual for studios to release grosses from streaming profits in real-time. Many never do so, and some release figures weeks after the fact. 

    “‘Black Widow’s’ strong performance this weekend affirms our flexible distribution strategy of making franchise films available in theaters for a true cinematic experience and, as COVID concerns continue globally, providing choice to consumers who prefer to watch at home on Disney+,” said Kareem Daniel, the chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, in a statement.

    The film was liked by audiences, who gave it an A-minus CinemaScore, and critics. “Black Widow” currently boasts an 80% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Men made up some 58% of the opening weekend crowd. 

    “F9” came in second place with an estimated $10.8 million, bringing its domestic total to $140.8 million in its third weekend out in North America. Globally, it’s grossed $541.8 million. Universal also held the third and fourth place spots with the animated sequel “The Boss Baby: Family Business,” which added $8.7 million, and the horror “The Forever Purge,” with $6.7 million. “A Quiet Place Part II” rounded out the top five with $3 million.

    Currently, 81% of North American theaters are open, and most are operating at full capacity. Overall the films this weekend grossed a total of $117 million. It’s the first time since the beginning of the pandemic that a moviegoing weekend has surpassed $100 million. 

    And while it’s promising for the industry as a whole, Marvel films have always been in a box office category of their own. Overall, they’ve grossed nearly $23 billion. 

    “Marvel films are a unique monster,” Dergarabedian said. “I don’t know that you’ll see this for every release.”

  • Scarlett Johansson has ‘no plans’ to return as ‘Black Widow’

    By ANI
    WASHINGTON: Scarlett Johansson recently revealed that she will not be returning as Natasha Romanoff in her superhero movie ‘Black Widow’.

    People Magazine reported that Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige recently said in an interview that he is “excited to continue working with Scarlett in any way possible.” But, the actor seems to have made a decision to “not return” as the assassin-turned-Avenger.

    The 36-year-old star said in an interview that she feels “really satisfied with this film”.

    ALSO READ: Actor Scarlett Johansson opens up about her ‘Black Widow’ role

    “It feels like a great way to go out for this chapter of my Marvel identity,” she added.

    With her statement, she also made it clear that it doesn’t mean fans won’t see her around the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) at all, though she has only said goodbye to the ‘Black Widow’ character.

    “I would love to be able to continue to collaborate with Marvel in other ways because I think there’s just an incredible wealth of stories there. Re-imagining this genre is something that I find very interesting,” the two-time Academy Award nominee said.

    “I think there’s a lot of opportunities to tell these stories in different ways than audiences have come to expect,” she added.

    ALSO READ: Scarlett Johansson says Black Widow was ‘sexualised’ in the beginning

    The actor first appeared as Natasha Romanoff in 2010’s ‘Iron Man 2’, before going on to reprise her role in several other films within the MCU.

    Kicking off Phase Four of the MCU, Black Widow takes place following the events of 2016’s ‘Captain America: Civil War’ and finds Natasha coming to terms with her complex past.

    ‘Black Widow’ is currently in theatres and streaming on Disney+.