‘Paper Tiger’ Star Scarlett Johansson Walked Away From a Ridley Scott Film the Moment She Learned Who Might Fund It

Scarlett Johansson has long been known for taking firm stances, and the industry has often applauded her for it. When Disney moved ‘Black Widow’ to streaming, she sued the studio, arguing that her contract called for an exclusive theatrical release and that the move would cost her millions in backend compensation. She eventually got what she asked for.

Not every decision has landed so smoothly. Her casting as a transgender man in ‘Rub & Tug’ drew sharp criticism when it was announced on July 2, and she later dropped out of the project. Before that, she had faced criticism over ‘Ghost in the Shell,’ which went on to earn just $40 million domestically on a reported $110 million budget.

There is one project, though, that she reportedly dropped without a second thought. Far Out Magazine recently revisited the story. The film was a biopic of a real-life photojournalist, directed by Ridley Scott, and the issue was not the script or the role. It was who might pay for it.

The project was acquired by Warner Bros. and had Scott attached, and it sounded like awards bait waiting to happen. It was based on the life of Lynsey Addario, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist whose work focuses on conflicts in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa and how they affect women. Then word reached Johansson that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman could be involved as a financial backer, and she withdrew immediately.

The story first surfaced in 2018, when Addario described it in a Facebook Live interview with New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof. She said the film was just about to go into production when Johansson learned of the prince’s potential involvement. His interest began during a Hollywood publicity tour months earlier, and Johansson’s refusal came before the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi made headlines.

According to Addario, Johansson did not hesitate. She reportedly pointed to the war in Yemen and the imprisonment of women as her reasons. Even though the prince was not actively involved when she spoke to the producers, his name alone was enough to end the discussion.

Addario said she was relieved. She had not met bin Salman personally, but she said she did not want him associated with a film about her work.

The consequences were significant. When Johansson left, the planned biopic fell apart, and it still has not been made, with her or anyone else. Koimoi reports that the studio shelved the project and that neither Scott nor Johansson has commented on it.

Financing has been a flashpoint for her in other ways, too. When she made her directorial debut with ‘Eleanor the Great,’ a financial backer pulled out after she refused to change the film’s Holocaust-related storyline. The backer took a significant chunk of the budget with it, and Sony Pictures Classics came on board as distributor and made up the shortfall.

Taken together, the stories paint a consistent picture. Johansson has repeatedly shown that she is willing to lose a project, or part of its funding, rather than compromise on what it stands for. Whether fans agree with every choice or not, they rarely have to wonder where she stands.

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