Bob Chapek; Scarlett Johansson.Photo: getty (2)
Disney CEO Bob Chapek is addressing the company’s future amid itsScarlett Johanssonlawsuit followingBlack Widow’s release in theaters and on Disney+, which the actress allegedbreached its contract with her.
On Tuesday, Chapek spoke at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference where he noted Disney “has had a long history of having very symbiotic and cooperative deals with talent and we will continue to,” according toDeadline.
While Chapek didn’t name Johansson or the lawsuit, he did say, “Certainly the world is changing and the talent deals going forward will have to reflect the fact that the world is changing.”
For more on the changes Disney is making amid Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit and other top stories, listen below toour daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
“We’re in a moment of time where films were envisioned under one understanding about what the world would be because frankly, it hadn’t changed much,” he added.
A spokesperson for Disney did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Chapek said film deals “made three or four years ago” were “cut three or four years ago.”
“Then they get launched in the middle of a global pandemic where that pandemic itself is accelerating a second dynamic, which is this changing consumer behavior,” Chapek said, according to the outlet. “So we’re sort of putting a square peg in a round hole right now where we’ve got a deal conceived under a certain set of conditions, that actually results in a movie that is being released in a completely different set of conditions.”
Chapek said the moviegoing experience will be taken into consideration when Disney approaches “future talent deals.”
In July, Johansson sued Disney for breach of contract after the company releasedBlack Widowin movie theaters and on Disney+ simultaneously.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
A Disney spokesperson for the company replied to the lawsuit in a statement saying, “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 theCOVID-19 pandemic.”
“Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson’s contract and furthermore, the release ofBlack Widowon Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date,” the statement continued.
Disney facedbacklash from Johansson’s agentBryan Lourd as well as multiple women’s groups in Hollywood, such as Time’s Up, ReFrame and Women in Film, who called the company’s response to the actress' lawsuit “a gendered character attack” in a joint statement.
Scarlett Johansson inBlack Widow(2021).Film Frame/Marvel Studios 2020
In response to Disney’s filing, Johansson’s attorney John Berlinski said in a statement, “After initially responding to this litigation with a misogynistic attack against Scarlett Johansson, Disney is now, predictably, trying to hide its misconduct in a confidential arbitration.”
During an earnings call on Aug. 12, Chapek spoke about the dual releases of films in movie theaters and on Disney+, telling Wall Street analysts, “We value flexibility in being able to make last-minute calls,” according toDeadline.
He added that he and former CEO Bob Iger, who now serves as chairman of the board at Disney, “determined” the dual-release plan for several of this year’s movies “was the right strategy to enable us to reach the broadest possible audience.”
source: people.com
