Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit with Disney emboldened Emma Stone when it came to the negotiations for Cruella 2. Earlier this year, Disney released Cruella, their latest villain origin story starring Stone and directed by Craig Gillespie. As one of the first major studio films to arrive amid the box office’s pandemic recovery, Disney also gave it a day and date Premier Access release on Disney+, a move that appeared to work out well. Cruella arrived in theaters with a better than expected $21 million and has since earned $226 million worldwide on top of Disney+ grosses.
Disney+’s Premier Access platform has become somewhat controversial of late. Johansson sued the studio at the end of July over the decision to make Black Widow available on streaming without negotiating a new deal with her, claiming breach of contract. What has followed since has been a very public battle of words, with Disney attacking Johansson and several unions coming to Johansson’s side. It was also said that other Disney stars were considering lawsuits of their own, including Stone. Only days ago, though, news broke revealing Stone had finalized a deal to return for Cruella 2.
According to insider Matthew Belloni, Stone used Johansson’s lawsuit to her advantage when it came to the Cruella 2 negotiations. She did not sue Disney, but instead forced the studio to “acknowledge for the first time that it should have negotiated a ‘buyout’ of her box office bonuses on the first Cruella, like Warner Bros. did for its 2021 movies.” Before this, Disney was simply adding the at-home upcharge to the box office numbers. From there, Stone earned an 8-figure payment that she will receive regardless of whether Cruella 2 gets made. She would earn even more if the sequel moves forward. Additionally, Stone got Disney to drop its insistence that she take tiered bonuses and is instead poised to earn a more traditional back-end payment “that includes a royalty on each at-home sale on streaming.”
Though another lawsuit would have sent a clear message to Disney about its handling of Premier Access releases, Stone’s knowledge of Johansson’s Black Widow lawsuit made an impact on her Cruella 2 deal. Most likely, the threat of a lawsuit from her made Disney more willing to accommodate her demands. As many have noted online, Johansson’s legal battle is less that she is dissatisfied with the streaming release and more that she was denied what she was owed. In Stone’s case, she’s now taken steps to ensure that won’t happen to her with Cruella 2.
Little is known about Cruella 2 so far, largely since Stone’s involvement was only confirmed a few days ago. With the first movie pushing the titular villainess into her iconic role, the sequel could further move her towards the story of 101 Dalmatians. It isn’t yet clear if Cruella 2 could go to streaming in some form, but it sounds like Stone’s new deal is already bracing for the possibility. Streaming is the new normal in Hollywood, and everyone involved is getting ready for it.
Source: Matthew Belloni
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