August 13, 2021
Disney’s CEO has finally addressed Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow lawsuit.
While the hybrid release format is not sitting well with Johansson, the CEO Bob Chapek stands by Disney+ move.
In his statement, he neither referenced Johansson’s lawsuit nor named the film but made it clear to Deadline, “We value flexibility in being able to make last-minute calls.”
In reference to allegations, he also added, “Certainly when we planned we didn't anticipate the resurgence of COVID.” However, despite it all, Mr. Chapek is “determined” that the call to issue a dual release “was the right strategy to enable us to reach the broadest possible audience.”
Before concluding however he added, “Distribution decisions are made on a film-by-film basis. We will continue to utilize all options going forward.”