Eva Green wins court battle over $1 million fee for sci-fi film A Patriot

Hollywood actress Eva Green has won her London court case against White Lantern Films and SMC Speciality Finance over a million-dollar fee for an abandoned sci-fi film A Patriot. The 42-year-old sued the companies in October 2019.

Green wanted the production house to pay her the fee promised in a contract, despite the shelvingof the movie. To retaliate, the production company filed acounter-claim against the actress, alleging she pulled out of the making of the film and breached her contract.

In a judgment givenon Friday, Justice Michael Green ruled inGreen's favour and said that she was entitled to the fee, dismissing the counter-claim.

Reacting to the judgment, the actress said that she had been "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 added, "I am proud that I stood up against their bully-boy tactics. A few people in the press were only too delighted to reprint 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."

Max Mallin KC, for White Lantern and SMC, said during the trial that Green showed a "categorical and unequivocal refusal to perform". However,Justice Michael Green said that hedoes not believe that any of the defendants’ witnesses truly considered that Green had withdrawn her services from the film and renounced the artist agreement.

The judge added that the allegation against Green "has the feel of being constructed after the event in order to be able to mount some sort of defence to the claim brought by Ms Green", adding it was "based on false evidence"from witnesses.

The judge added, "There is no doubt that Green did not make any conclusive decision or statement that she would not comply with her obligations under the artist agreement. Nor could anyone have reasonably understood her to have made such a decision."