Producers Eva Green and ‘A Patriot’ will have their day in court this month after a long legal battle

James Bond Star Eva Green is due to appear in court in London later this month to win a long-running legal battle with British producer White Lantern Film.

This is the case that first surfaced in late 2019 after the collapse of the UK project A patriot, in which Green would star and executive produce. The main issue in the case is determining which party was responsible for the collapse, with both sides giving conflicting testimony on the matter.

At the time, Green claimed she was entitled to a $1 million fee agreed upon at the start of the project, arguing that she was owed the money as she had a “pay-or-play” contract regardless of the collapse of the films rolled in front of the cameras.

The actress’ latest plea reveals her breach of contract lawsuit against the producers, including multiple concerns about “disorganized and chaotic” pre-production and that the initial €10 million budget was halved, resulting in a “woefully inadequate amount” to make . The film.

White Lantern is defending her claim, claiming that the actress’ behavior was inappropriate and in violation of her contractual obligations, so she is not entitled to her fee. According to his lawsuit, producer and financier SMC claims that Green had no intention of completing production and is pursuing a counterclaim alleging millions in losses allegedly caused by Green’s actions.

As part of its evidence, White Lantern will rely on messages unearthed by Green via a discovery order. The email and Whatsapp messages show Green calling a producer a “fucking idiot” and the fans “a***holes.” She also jokingly referred to herself as “Cruella” when talking about the production team.

Green has strongly denied allegations that she caused the film to fail. Her lawyers previously said: “Ms. Green was at all times ready to fulfill her contract and she remained willing and able to rely on it. It was the bridge financiers and White Lantern who unilaterally stopped production in early October 2019.”

science fiction movie A patriot was also due to Star Charles Dance and Helen Hunt.

The trial will begin the week of January 23 in London, most likely at the Rolls Building or near the Royal Courts.

A spokesperson for White Lantern Film and SMC told us: “This lawsuit stems from a failed independent film venture in which White Lantern was the production company and SMC was the bridging lender. Ms Green was hired to provide her acting and executive producer services for a fee of US$1 million (approximately £830,000). The production allegedly failed because of Ms. Green’s illegal actions – yet Ms. Green started this lawsuit to collect her fee.

“The respective positions of the parties are described in publicly available court documents. Those documents were amended last year with court approval to allege – in addition to breach of contract – illegal conspiracy and deception involving Ms Green.

“White Lantern and SMC are disappointed to have resorted to legal action with an actor for the first time in their history. They are confident that they will be able to prove their defense and counter-claim before the High Court hearing later this month and the significant losses they allegedly suffered as a result of Ms. Green’s actions, can recover.”

Eva Green representatives declined to comment.

Casino Royale, Penny terrible and city ​​of sin Actress Green is the next star in a big-budget European adaptation The Three Musketeers with Vincent Cassel, Romain Duris, Louis Garrel and Vicky Krieps.

Films from White Lantern Films include a 2014 film emulsion and thriller of 2016 K store. SMC is a division of financier Sherborne Media, whose credits include Greenland and Half way through.