Producer Sues Others Over Unpaid Commissions on Film Trio Starring Chris Pine, Anna Kendrick and Kate Beckinsale

A producer and aspiring actor, and a production company of which he is a director, are suing a second producer and his company in a dispute over alleged unpaid commissions and other promises related to the financing of three films starring Chris Pine , Annette Bening, Danny et al. DeVito, Anna Kendrick and Kate Beckinsale.

Matthew Dwyer and Rescue Dog Productions LLC filed a lawsuit alleging fraud and breach of contract against producer Jeff Elliott and Chad Moore, Elliott’s assistant executive at their company, Bricknell and Broadbridge International. Plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages and redress in the lawsuit filed Friday.

The films in question are pool manPine’s directorial debut; The dating gameKendrick’s directorial debut and canary blackwith Beckinsale.

“The plaintiffs now realize that they have fallen victim to a fraudulent deception perpetrated by the defendants, in which the defendants have gone from film to film making more and more promises to the plaintiffs, with the plaintiffs increasingly made pledges based on these Funds collected pledges. , only to take the money the plaintiffs collected and run without fulfilling their end of the bargain,” the lawsuit states.

Representatives for Elliott and Moore were not immediately available for comment.

According to the lawsuit, plaintiffs were introduced to Elliott earlier this year, and Elliott indicated that he was urgently trying to raise money for Poolman, a feature film starring Chris Pine, Susan Sarandon, Annette Bening and Danny DeVito.

“Elliot told prosecutors he needed to raise $1.1 million for the film within two days,” the lawsuit states.

In return, Elliot allegedly promised Rescue Dog a 12 to 12.5% ​​commission on funds raised, 3.5% equity for the film, executive producer credits for Dwyer and fellow Rescue Dog member Michael Hollingsworth, and press releases in the entertainment media, announcing Rescue. Dog, Dwyer and Hollingsworth as producers.

The defendants also promised Dwyer, an aspiring actor, a role pool man as a waiter serving Pine and other actors in one scene, the lawsuit alleges.

In the end, Rescue Dog received only $150,000 in commissions for its work, Dwyer and Hollingsworth received no production credits or industry media mentions, and Dwyer was denied his acting role, the lawsuit states. Elliott told Dwyer that a better role on Netflix was waiting for him The dating gamein which Anna Kendrick would star, is coming.

Elliott began talking to the plaintiffs about raising money in June The dating game and agreed to pay the plaintiffs a 10% commission on all monies the plaintiffs collected for the film, the lawsuit states. Elliott also reportedly told Dwyer that the acting prosecutor’s role in The dating game was assured he would be paid $37,500 for four to six scenes in the film, including a “juicy role opposite Anna Kendrick.”

Dwyer and Rescue Dog raised $1.1 million for The dating gamebut part of the money would later have been allocated to the production of canary blackis in the package.

Dwyer and Rescue Dog did not get the work they were promised, nor did Dwyer get a role in the film, although production resumed in October, according to the lawsuit.

In late August and early September, Elliott allegedly made some of the same commercial, endorsement and acting promises to the plaintiffs regarding the Kate Beckinsale film canary blacksaid it needed $4.4 million in financing.

“Elliott even went so far as to offer five or six possible roles canary black to Dwyer and told him he could make his choice,” the suit states.

A lawyer for the defendants told Deadline in a statement that Dwyer’s lawsuit was “completely without merit. In fact, this lawsuit is another step in a desperate attempt to extort money from my clients.”

In fact, the plaintiffs were only able to collect $2.05 million canary blackBut complain that they again did not receive the compensation they bargained for, according to the lawsuit, which alleges that the defendants used a “bait and switch” method to get the plaintiffs’ help in the settlement. which the plaintiffs relied on in return for their fundraising assistance.

The defendants’ lawyer argues that “Mr. Dwyer admits in the lawsuit that my clients voluntarily paid him a hefty finder’s fee from my client, as is standard in the film industry. The plaintiffs also admit in the lawsuit that they raised far less than the $4.4 million they repeatedly promised, but still expected to be paid as if they had.

The statement concluded: “We intend to vigorously defend this lawsuit and fully expect it to be dismissed and Mr. Dwyer punished.”

The lawsuit claims that according to the latest funds provided by the plaintiffs for canary black reached the defendants’ bank account, Elliott and Moore “stopped answering Dwyer’s calls and went radio silent for several weeks.”

The City News Service contributed to this report.