Bond girl Eva Green accuses Hollywood producers of trying to ‘paint her as a diva’ over doomed sci-fi film – after High Court heard actress branded financial backers ‘a***holes’ before £4m movie fell apart
- The Casino Royale actress, 42, had been due to appear in A Patriot in 2019
- Ms Green is suing production company White Lantern Films for $1million
- White Lantern says she made ‘unreasonable demands’ and undermined the film
Hollywood star Eva Green today claimed a bitter High Court war over a doomed £4 million sci-fi film is ‘designed to blacken her name’ as her texts revealed she called herself ‘Cruella’ but considered one of its producers a ‘f***ing moron’ and its financial backers ‘a***holes’.
The Casino Royale actress, 42, had been due to appear in A Patriot before production was shut down in October 2019.
She is now suing production company White Lantern Films, claiming she is entitled to her $1million (£810,000) fee for the project, despite its cancellation.
Ms Green, who was both an actress and executive producer on the project, has claimed she is entitled to be paid her fee in the event that the production was cancelled under a so-called ‘pay or play’ provision.
She is asking the court to rule that she is entitled to the money and that White Lantern should also pay her legal costs.
Bond girl Eva Green, pictured in Casino Royale with Daniel Craig, is at the High Court in a legal battle over the demise of a £4 million film project
In an opening statement, Green’s legal team led by Edmund Cullen KC, said the case ‘seems to be designed to blacken the name of an actor who has not breached a contract or missed a day’s shooting in a career spanning 20 years.
He said the executive producers Jake Seal and Terry Bird ‘have sought to lay every failure of the production at Eva Green’s door’ in ‘an attempt to reconstruct a false factual narrative’.
White Lantern Films is defending the case and bringing a counter claim against Ms Green, alleging she repeatedly made ‘unreasonable demands’ and undermined the film’s production.
They have also claimed Ms Green repeatedly said she was ready and willing to take part in the film when she had no intention to do so.
The firm is claiming the one million dollar fee as well as seeking damages against Ms Green. Texts reveal that she called herself ‘Cruella’, branded Mr Seal ‘evil’ and a ‘mad man’ and called Mr Bird a ‘f***ing moron’.
Ms Green’s team said: ‘Bizarrely Eva Green is criticised extensively for her supposedly unreasonable behaviour, when in fact the documentary evidence shows her consistently striving to ensure that the Film would be of the highest possible quality, including by making repeated offers to contribute her own funds towards the hiring of suitable crew.’
Former Bond girl Eva Green (pictured) ranted that ‘my name is Cruella’, called a movie producer a ‘f****** moron’ and labelled the financial backers of her film ‘a***holes’ before the £4 million project fell apart, court documents reveal
Documents filed at the High Court (pictured) reveal the star spectacularly fell out with the backers, White Lantern, and executive producers Jake Seal and Terry Bird from Black Hangar Studios, whom she accused of trying to make a ‘cheap B movie’
The trial in London began this morning and is due to last eight days. Green was not present his morning but will give evidence later.
Documents filed at the High Court reveal the star spectacularly fell out with the backers, White Lantern, and executive producers Jake Seal and Terry Bird from Black Hangar Studios, whom she accused of trying to make a ‘cheap B movie’.
Ms Green is understood to risk facing a legal bill of more than £4 million if she loses the case.
Sparks flew during the summer of 2019 after the film’s producers haggled over the rates of pay to meet the demands of Ms Green’s preferred team. In an email to the film’s director, Dan Pringle, in August 2019, Ms Green wrote: ‘F*** him [Mr Seal]… We need to get the a***holes [out] by Monday…I cannot believe that Moron Jake… pure vomit.’
On September 11, 2019, she messaged Mr Pringle again to say: ‘At the end of the day, we want to get rid of Terry [Bird]. And his big Boss [Mr Seal]… My name is Cruella.’
The trial continues.
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