Rebel Wilson | Photo credit: Jordan Strauss
The three producers of Rebel Wilson’s film Deb has filed a defamation suit against the actress in California. The suit comes after the Pitch Perfect star leveled allegations against her, accusing her of embezzlement and professional sabotage. The producers—Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and executive producer Vince Holden—refute these claims and are presenting their side through legal channels, according to Diversity,
The controversy reached a climax when Wilson posted a video message on Instagram titled, “If my film gets buried at least you’ll know why.” In the video, she accused the producers of “embezzling funds” and engaging in “absolutely cruel and vindictive behavior.” The lawsuit denies these allegations, suggesting that Wilson was attempting to leverage her massive social media following to manipulate the film’s production outcomes, specifically over credits for screenwriting and music recording.
The main issue of the lawsuit is a dispute over screenwriting and music credits. Wilson has sought co-writing of the screenplay and the rights to the film’s original music. However, the Australian Writers Guild gave full credit to original screenwriter and Wilson’s alleged disciple Hannah Riley, while Wilson received credit for “additional writing”. The producers argue that Wilson was dissatisfied with this arrangement, while an official decision was made earlier this year.
In his demand letter, Wilson claimed he was forced to sign away the rights “under duress”, alleging that the producers physically intimidated and threatened him throughout production. The producers have strongly denied these claims, saying Wilson’s story is baseless and fabricated to tarnish their reputation.
Wilson’s social media post also claimed that the film, which focuses on two girls attending a debutante ball in a small Australian town, is being prevented from premiering at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). She accused the producers of misusing 900,000 Australian dollars and forcing her to hire private security. The producers have called these allegations baseless.
A lawyer for the producers labeled Wilson a “bully” in a legal filing, accusing him of using defamatory tactics to promote his agenda. “Rebel’s statements have a clear and unmistakable defamatory meaning: that [the producers] “He committed criminal misappropriation of funds from the film,” the suit states.
In addition, Wilson has accused Ghost and Cameron of misbehavior and unprofessional behavior in the film, including sexually harassing the lead actor. The producers’ filing counters this, saying, “[Wilson] revived a fictitious story about Ms. Ghost sexually assaulting the lead actor in ‘The Deb’ that has no basis in reality.”
The producers argue that Wilson’s actions have threatened the film’s success and complicated their marketing efforts. They say their plan was always to premiere the film at TIFF, but Wilson’s actions have forced them to reconsider.
