Filmmaker Martin Scorsese is being sued for $500,000 for allegedly pulling out of a film project.
The 80-year-old director, producer, screenwriter and actor is no stranger to these kinds of lawsuits, and The Blast has the latest filed by Op-Fortitude Ltd.
Martin Scorsese Faces $500,000 Lawsuit For Allegedly Backing Out Of Film Project
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According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Op-Fortitude Ltd. is a private company formed to create a film called “Operation Fortitude.” The full-length film plans to tell the story of a strategic mission that is “crucial to the course of World War II. No other plot details are known at this time.
For those who may not be aware, Scorsese is the founder and CEO of his own film production company called Sikelia Productions. Inc. On January 25, 2022, Op-Fortitude signed a written contract with Sikelia to list Scorsese as Executive Producer on the picture. The agreement calls for a payment of $1,000,000 to Sikelia. $500,000 will be paid when their contracts are executed and the other $500,000 will be paid at a later date.
According to court filings, Op-Fortitude Ltd. became frustrated that Scorsese had not completed any work on the project fifteen months after the contract was signed. They also pointed out that Scorsese “has been completely unresponsive to Op-Fortitude’s repeated attempts to contact him and ensure the fulfillment of his obligations.”
The company claimed that they “prejudiced reliance on Sikelia and Scorsese’s representations that Mr. Scorsese would personally contact actors and other key personnel such as potential director candidates to help Op-Fortitude assemble an all-star cast and lend to the overall value of the project.”
‘Operation: Fortitude’ Was Originally Scheduled To Begin Filming In Late 2022
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“Op-Fortitude expended considerable time and resources in working with Sikelia and Mr. Scorsese, and the Defendants’ refusal to perform has placed the Pictures in jeopardy and resulted in the loss of funding, profits, and other commercial opportunities,” they wrote in court papers. “Op-Fortitude has also experienced significant delays in the production of the Pictures due to Mr. Scorsese’s neglect of his contractual duties.”
Court filings reveal that it was actually Martin Scorsese’s talent manager who told the company that the established filmmaker had not performed any services on the contract. While the talent manager appears to have agreed that “return of the $500,000 fee and termination of the Agreement is warranted, Mr. Scorsese and Sikelia have now refused to return the $500,000, despite not providing services to Op-Fortitude.”
Op-Fortitude Ltd. claimed that Scorsese’s breach of contract had cost them millions of dollars in losses as they planned to shoot on location in Europe in late 2022. They claimed that Scorsese had assured them that he was willing to help them with the lock-up. A-list directors and cast members for the project despite its tight schedule. It’s still uncertain whether “Operation: Fortitude” will go into production, but the company wants its money back.
Martin Scorsese Has Been Sued For Allegedly Backing Out Of Previous Films
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In 2012, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Martin Scorsese was sued by producer Cecchi Gori over an alleged deal to direct the film “Silence.” Cecchi Gori Pictures, the production company headed by Vittorio Cecchi Gori, claims to have signed several agreements with Scorsese and Sikelia Productions for him to direct the film.
Cecchi Gori claims that they invested $750,000 to develop the story, which is based on a Japanese novel by Shusaku Endo. The film tells the story of a missionary sent to Japan in 1683 to investigate reports of Christians being tortured by the Emperor.
In 2004 and 2011, Scorsese and his company allegedly signed off on details so he could delay directing “Silence” for other films, such as “The Departed,” “Shutter Island” and “Hugo.” Scorsese reportedly agreed to pay “substantial compensation and other valuable benefits, for the rights to direct these three other films before Silence,” said to be in excess of a million each.
According to the court filing, Scorsese never paid the agreed-upon delay fee for “Hugo.” Once news broke that Scorsese would direct “Wolf of Wall Street” for Red Granite instead of “Silence,” Cecchi Gori Pictures filed a lawsuit.
Fortunately, “Silence” was released in 2016, starring an all-star cast of Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson, and Adam Driver.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
