‘Avengers’ Director Joe Russo Says “People’s Nerves Are Fraying” After Scarlett Johansson’s ‘Black Widow’ Lawsuit

Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War co-director Joe Russo shared his thoughts about Scarlett Johansson‘s “unfortunate” Black Widow lawsuit against Disney today in a new interview with Variety.

“There’s a lot of tension [in the film industry], just like there is in a lot of industries, because there’s a lot of disruption,” Russo said. “People’s nerves are fraying, and it’s hard to predict what’s going to happen or where anything is going.”

Johansson filed a suit against Marvel on July 29, alleging that Disney’s simultaneous streaming release of Black Widow to Disney+ Premier Access breached her contract, and that the studio sacrificed the film’s box office potential to grow Disney+. According to the suit, “Disney intentionally induced Marvel’s breach of the agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from realizing the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel.”

Disney argued that there was no merit to the filing, revealing that Johansson has already received $20 million for her work on Black Widow, stating that the film’s release on Disney+ with Premier Access “significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation.”

Before the lawsuit was ultimately settled last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Russo Brothers had hit a standstill while considering whether to direct another movie for Marvel, because of their uncertainty over how the potential film would be distributed and how they would be compensated.

While Russo didn’t directly address this report, he told Variety that the lawsuit’s resolution “speaks volumes” about respect for artists moving forward in this new day-and-date era. He believes that theatrical releases will endure, although the Covid-19 pandemic and the rapid growth of streaming services will have large implications on the film industry.

“I don’t see a resurgence of independent movies in theaters in the future. I just don’t,” he said. “You get more money to make them digitally. Less headaches. The easiest thing for Netflix to do is to greenlight a smaller film. What I’ve found, and what a lot of other filmmakers have found, is that nobody really bothers you. That’s an incredible experience to have.”