Scarlett Johansson, Disney Settle 'Black Widow' Lawsuit

►End of hostilities. Scarlett Johansson and Disney have settled a breach of contract lawsuit over the star’s Black Widow payday. The explosive suit, filed by the actress in July in Los Angeles Superior Court, claimed that the studio sacrificed the film’s box office potential in order to grow its fledgling Disney+ streaming service. Disney countered that Johansson was paid $20 million for the film.

The settlement brings to a close a back-and-forth PR battle that pitted the CAA-repped star against Disney and was poised to have dramatic implications for all of Hollywood’s major studios. The story. 

—Support from Congress. On the eve of the strike authorization vote, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Adam Schiff, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and over 100 other members of Congress asked producers to work with IATSE "to reach a fair contract and address the basic human needs that will allow them to do their jobs safely and with dignity." The story. 

—Butch and Sundance heading to TV. THR's Lesley Goldberg has the scoop on Scott Steindorff and Dylan Russell’s Stone Village Television landing the rights to author Charles Leerhsen’s book Butch Cassidy: The True Story of an American Outlaw, following a bidding war. ​The story.

—"He got what he deserved." Aaron Sorkin has responded to the allegations of bullying and workplace misconduct against producer Scott Rudin, saying his former collaborator “got what he deserves” before explaining why he personally remained silent in the aftermath. The story. 

—43 Grammys between them. Pepsi, the NFL and Roc Nation have revealed the lineup for the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show, with a monster roster comprising Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar. The story.

Regé-Jean Page to Star in Noah Hawley's Netflix Heist Film

►A-list project. Bridgerton breakout star Regé-Jean Page is staying in business with Netflix for a new heist thriller from a heavyweight creative team. The untitled project hails from writer-director Noah Hawley, with Joe and Anthony Russo on board to produce. Plot details are being kept locked in the safe, but comes from an original idea from Hawley. The story. 

—"I was lost. And I felt invisible." Azriel Clary, one of the survivors who testified against R. Kelly during his recent sex trafficking trial, sat down for an interview with Gayle King and revealed that the disgraced singer had "control" over her when she spoke to King two years prior. The story. 

 —New additions. FX has unveiled the full cast for its updated take on James Clavell’s Shōgun. The limited series, which the cabler ordered back in 2018, will also star Hiroyuki Sanada (Army of the Dead), Anna Sawai (F9) and Cosmo Jarvis (Raised by Wolves). The story. 

—$500 million projection. Patriotic war epic The Battle at Lake Changjin, co-directed by A-list Chinese filmmakers Chen Kaige, Hark Tsui and Dante Lam, has rocketed to the top of China’s box office during the opening days of the country’s long National Day holiday period. The film was released on Thursday and had already earned approximately $82 million by 6 p.m. local time on Friday. The story.  

—"I didn’t know that I could face it again." Sam Raimi was so shell-shocked by the negative reaction to Spider–Man 3 that he nearly did not get back in the superhero saddle to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The story. 

12 Must-See 'Seinfeld' Episodes

►"I find my son treating his body like it was an amusement park." With all nine seasons of Seinfeld bowing on Netflix today, THR critic Angie Han, rather helpfully, offers a fresh rundown of a dozen essential episodes, including "The Chinese Restaurant," "The Hamptons" and, of course, "The Contest." The list. 

—Martin Henderson clinging to a top 10 spot. Netflix’s thriller Clickbait claimed the top overall spot in Nielsen’s streaming charts for the week following its premiere, dislodging Manifest. Hulu also had two shows make the top 10 original series for the first time. The rankings. 

—Dick Wolf FTW. The Masked Singer scored the narrowest of victories over Survivor among adults 18-49 in Wednesday’s ratings, though the latter drew substantially more total viewers. NBC’s trio of Dick Wolf-produced Chicago dramas drew the three biggest total audiences in primetime, and ABC’s comedies all declined some in their second week. The ratings. 

—Helping out. Phoebe Waller-Bridge has joined the BFI London Film Festival as a judge. The Fleabag creator and No Time To Die co-writer is set to head up the judging panel for the IWC Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary award that dishes out a $67,000 prize. The story. 

—"Being different is badass." In a guest column, actor Alex Barone, who was born with fibular hemimelia, writes on how Hollywood can bring more authenticity and dimensionality to characters with disabilities. The column. 

Thank Pod It's Friday

In other news...

—TV review: Margaret Qualley in Netflix’s Maid. 

—Film review: Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan's The Addams Family 2. 

—Film review: Ben Lewin's Falling for Figaro. 

—Film review: Justin Corsbie's Hard Luck Love Song.

—Fantastic Fest film review: Alexandre O. Philippe's The Taking. 

—Many Saints of Newark director gives his opinion on Sopranos final scene.

—Broadway’s Aladdin resumes performances following breakthrough COVID cases.

—Nickelodeon’s Ramsey Naito replaces Mireille Soria as Paramount animation chief.

—YouTube star El Rubius teams with gaming streamer Binge for original series.

—Jeffrey Chassen to head Vision PR L.A. bureau.

—Octavia Spencer signs with CAA.

—Michael Pitt signs with Paradigm.

—PR vet Nicole Marostica joins Disney.

What else we're reading...

—"This Year’s Best Actress Race Could Spark a Full-On Stan War" [Vulture]

—"“But Why Male Models?”: An Oral History of Zoolander" [Vanity Fair]

—"Ladies and Gentlemen, Daniel Craig" [New York Times]

—"Why I Felt Betrayed By Netflix’s Midnight Mass" [Vox]

—"Why Is Machine Gun Kelly a Thing?" [Daily Beast]

Today... 

...in 1963, United Artists hosted the New York premiere of Ralph Nelson's Lilies of the Field, starring Sidney Poitier and Lilia Skala. The film was nominated for five Oscars at the 36th Academy Awards, winning one for best actor for Poitier. The original review.

Today's birthdays: Michaela Coel (34), Julie Andrews (86), Jurnee Smollett (35), Brie Larson (32), Rupert Friend (40), Emerald Fennell (36), Marielle Heller (42), Zach Galifianakis (52), Randy Quaid (71), Charles Edwards (52), Hakeem Kae-Kazim (59)