Another movie yanked from TIFF schedule
The film London Fields has been pulled from the Toronto International Film Festival amid a dispute over creative control between its director and producers.
The movie, which features cameos by Johnny Depp and his wife, Amber Heard, is based on Martin Amis’s 1989 noir novel.
The film was scheduled to premiere on Friday.
It was pulled as director Matthew Cullen is embroiled in legal action against its producers.
A lawsuit Cullen filed on Tuesday calls for a trial by jury to settle the dispute and claims he is owed more than $300,000 for directing fees, and that he also lost more than $800,000 in out-of-pocket expenses.
Cullen’s lawsuit alleges that “in this case, the defendant producers have tampered with plaintiff’s work as director of the film.” Cullen alleges that he was assured at the onset of the project he would have “the freedom to make the film according to his own creative vision without interference.”
The complaints include allegations of fraud, misappropriation of name and likeness and unfair competition, as well as a dispute over the ending of the film.
Cullen objects strongly to his name being used to promote London Fields and accuses the producers of “false promises.”
Earlier in the festival, megastar singer Aretha Franklin’s legal moves caused the biopic Amazing Grace to be yanked from the TIFF lineup.
London Fields also features Cara Delevingne, Billy Bob Thornton, Jim Sturgess, Theo James and Jason Isaacs. Peter Edwards