*A bank is going after the distributor of Johnny Depp’s long-suffering film “City of Lies” for $10 million, after the movie cancelled its planned Sept. 7 release.
Depp plays the real-life detective who investigated the murders of Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur. The film has been plagued with problems, including a location manager on the project filing a lawsuit against Depp last month for allegedly punching him on the set.
According to Page Six, Bank Leumi filed papers in California federal court this week against the film’s financially spiraling distributor, Global Road, alleging it and Miramax (which owns TV rights) owe the Israeli bank millions in guaranteed payments.
Miramax argued in court documents that “no payment is due,” because there were “significant problems with the production [that] have significantly devalued [the film], including . . . the highly publicized alleged off-screen conduct of Johnny Depp, as well as a lawsuit filed against Mr. Depp and the production because he allegedly physically attacked a crew member on the set.”
The bank claims “the real reason” the film’s been shelved is because Global Road is “in financial distress and decided not to pay [$10 million] of marketing and distribution expenses” that were guaranteed as part of the contract.
Comments