Partner Nicole Page Quoted by ‘Indiewire’ on Scarlett Johansson in Suit Against Disney

On July 29, RPJ Partner Nicole Page was quoted in Indiewire’s article entitled, “Scarlett Johansson’s Disney Lawsuit Could Shape the Future of Talent Compensation.” The piece details a lawsuit filed by actress Scarlett Johansson against Disney over her loss of earnings from Marvel’s Black Widow, resulting from Disney’s election to simultaneously release Black Widow on Disney+ and theatrically. That decision greatly diminished Johansson’s earnings which were tied to box office revenues.

The case addresses the issue of the migration to streaming from theatrical distribution and what that means for talent.

Nicole explains, “It goes back to the challenge that entertainment lawyers are facing all the time now: trying to negotiate deals when there is no backend anymore. It’s all confidential, it’s all in this black box.” She notes that she is in the midst of negotiating with a streamer on behalf of a talent client whose last project was released theatrically and states, “The money is a fraction of what they made on the theatrical release.”

To learn more, read the full article on Indiewire here.