Bond girl Eva Green begins High Court legal battle with Hollywood producers over £4m sci-fi film

Hollywood star Eva Green claimed today that a bitter High Court war over a doomed £4m sci-fi film is “designed to hurt her like a diva” as her texts revealed she called herself same “Cruella”, but considered one of its producers to be a ‘f***ing idiot’ and his financial backers ‘to ***holes’.

The 42-year-old Casino Royale star was due to star in the sci-fi film A Patriot before production wrapped in October 2019. He is suing production company White Lantern Films, claiming he is entitled to its $1 million ( approximately £810,000) fee for the film, despite its cancellation.

Ms. Green, who was an actress and an executive producer on the project, claims that she is entitled to her fee if the production was canceled under the so-called “pay or play” provision.

White Lantern Films is defending the case and filing a counterclaim against the French actress, alleging that she repeatedly made “unreasonable demands” and undermined the film’s production.

Today, at the start of the eight day trial, lawyer Edmund Cullen KC told the court that Ms Green wanted to make the film but “the financial plan was never going to work”.

He added: ‘This was, for her, a passion project. The subject of the film refers to a subject of great concern to her, namely the climate catastrophe.

“He loved the script and he wanted the movie to be made, he tried his best to get it done.”

In his written defense of the lawsuit, lawyers for White Lantern Films said Green had expressed a “lack of trust and dissatisfaction” with some members of the production team.

White Lantern’s Max Mallin KC stated that she was “increasingly reluctant to take part in the production”, in breach of contract.

In text messages used in the White Lantern claim, Ms. Green is said to refer to one of the film’s executive producers, Jake Seal, as ‘evil’, ‘devious psycho’ and ‘liar and crazy’ .

“I can’t believe Moron Jake…pure vomit,” read another message sent by Ms Green in August 2019.

He is also said to have called production manager Terry Bird a “fucking jerk” and described Mr. Seal and Mr. Bird as “total holes”.

Former Bond girl Eva Green (pictured) ranted that ‘my name is Cruella’, called a film producer a ‘fucking jerk’ and labeled her film’s financial backers ‘a ***holes’ ‘ before the £4m project fell apart, court documents reveal

The trial in London began this morning and is scheduled to last eight days. Green (pictured) was not present this morning but will testify later.

However, Mr. Cullen told the court: “This case is designed to paint my client as a diva in order to gain headlines and damage her reputation.”

He added that it was “really extraordinary” that Ms Green was faced with a case where she “was somehow trying to undermine the project all the time by making unreasonable demands.”

“He repeatedly agreed to postpone the start of principal photography. He agreed to the transfer of production from Ireland to the UK. He made repeated offers to use part of his fee to finance production costs.

In written submissions, Mr. Cullen said that White Lantern’s defense in the case was “an artificial construct that does not reflect the reality of the legal and factual position as it existed at the time.”

“It seems designed to tarnish the name of an actor who hasn’t breached a contract or missed a day of shooting in a 20-year career,” he added.

Cullen later said that the text messages “must be seen in the context” of negotiations over buying White Lantern from a lender in exchange for the rights to the script.

It is understood that Ms Green risks facing a legal bill of more than £4m if she loses the case.

Sparks flew during the summer of 2019 after the film’s producers haggled over pay rates to meet the demands of Ms. Green’s preferred team.

He added: ‘They are, in essence, an informal discharge of a stream of consciousness as events unfolded.

‘The language is sloppy and sometimes forcefully expressed, and perhaps carelessly.

“They are contradictory and volatile, reflecting the personalities of those involved and the extreme tension surrounding the making of the film.”

The attorney said that White Lantern has “tried to pin every production failure on Ms. Green.”

He later told the court that the production was in a “state of total dysfunction” and that the “reality” was that “this was a production that could never have been made and the defendant knew it.”

Judge Michael Green is expected to render his decision at a later date.

Ms Green pictured in London in June 2021 while filming a mystery project

The actress showed off a graceful figure in a bronze coat and black high-necked top while chatting with a male co-star near Tower Bridge.