Eva Green has claimed that “justice prevailed” after successfully suing a production company over the collapse of an abandoned sci-fi film.
The Casino Royal star was set to play the lead role in dystopian thriller A Patriot, but the production company, White Lantern Films, collapsed in October 2019.
After the film was abandoned, Green sued the production company, claiming she was still entitled to her $1m (£810,000) fee.
On Friday (April 28), the judge ruled in Green’s favour, stating that the actress was entitled to her fee. The counter claim, alleging that Green jeopardised the film by abandoning it, was dismissed.
The judge said (via The Independent) : “In particular, I find that Ms Green did not renounce her obligations under the artist agreement; nor did she commit any repudiatory breaches of it.”
Following the ruling, Green said in a statement: “My professional reputation has been upheld.
“In this legal action I was forced to stand up to a small group of men, funded by deep financial resources, who tried to use me as a scapegoat to cover up their own mistakes,” she said. “I am proud that I stood up against their bully-boy tactics.
“They made false allegations about me in public court documents which the judge has now shown are totally incorrect.”
Green also criticised media coverage of the trial, saying: “A few people in the press were only too delighted to re-print these lies without proper reporting. There are few things the media enjoys more than tearing a woman to pieces.
“It felt like being set upon by hounds. I found myself misrepresented, quoted out of context and my desire to make the best possible film was made to look like female hysteria. It was cruel and it was untrue.”
She added: “I fought tooth and nail to defend the beautiful film that I loved and had signed on for.
“A film that spoke of a cause I hold dear – climate change and warned of the resource wars and mass migration that would occur if we don’t address the problem. I stood my ground, and this time, justice prevailed.”
During the trial, the court heard that Green described some of the film’s crew members as “shitty peasants”, while also referring to the film as a “B-shitty movie”. The actress said she was “humiliated” to her have personal messages read out in court.