‘London Fields’ pulled from TIFF after director sues producers

The film London Fields has been pulled from the Toronto Film Festival amidst a dispute over creative control between its director and producers.

The film, an adaptation of Martin Amis’s bestselling 1989 novel, was supposed to have three public screenings during the festival, but all have since been cancelled.

“We have recently learned of a legal matter that has arisen between the director and the producers of the film ‘London Fields, ‘” a festival spokesperson said in a statement to the media.

London Fields centres on a attractive clairvoyant, Nicola Six (Heard) who knows the time and place of her murder, on the eve of her 30th birthday, but isn’t sure whether it will be committed by posh pretty boy Guy Clinch (Theo James) or darts-obsessed working class wideboy Keith Talent (Jim Sturgess).

The film was pulled after its press screening, enabling reviewers to see what appears to be Mr Hanley’s version.

“No crew or cast member signed up for this, nor did plaintiffs”, the lawsuit contends, and demands damages as a result, while also seeking a declaration that the producers have no right to use Cullen’s name to promote the movie without his consent. A spokesman for the Hanleys’ production company, Muse, said the film-makers had no comment on recent reports. Withdrawing the film also comes as the film’s producers were gearing up to market London Fields at the Toronto festival.

Cullin, best known for his Katy Perry “California Gurls” music video, is making his feature film debut with London Fields.

Deadline reported on Wednesday that studio Lionsgate had bought the film for distribution in a “low-seven-figure” deal despite the ongoing legal issues.

The conflict between the film’s director, Mathew Cullen, and its producer, Chris Hanley, emerged earlier this week, when Cullen filed suit against Hanley and his associates for “secretly [preparing] their own version of the film”.

Cullen’s film is not the only movie to be removed from the lineup at the festival – the premiere of Aretha Franklin’s concert documentary awesome Grace was halted last week (ends13Sep15) after the soul legend obtained an emergency injunction over footage included in the film.