It seems like trouble is brewing around Rebel Wilson‘s upcoming film and directorial debut The Deb.
Variety reports that the film’s producers have sued the actor for defamation in the state of California, after she publicly accused them of embezzlement and other allegations hampering the film.
The lawsuit comes after Rebel herself posted a video on Instagram earlier this week with the caption “If my movie gets buried at least you know why 🤷♀️.”
In the video, Rebel alleges that the film’s producers — specifically, Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and executive producer Vince Holden — were “embezzling funds” and engaging in “absolute viciousness and retaliatory behavior.”
According to Variety, the producers allege in their lawsuit that Rebel was absent from the film’s set for extended periods of time and issued threats of “exposing” them online. They also claim that there’s a dispute over how Rebel is credited in the film’s involvement — specifically, in her seeking a cowriting credit for the screenplay, as well as rights to the original music in the film.
In the lawsuit, a lawyer representing the producers alleged that “Rebel is a bully who will disregard the interests of others to promote her own,” claiming that she “has run this playbook one time too many” and that the actor has “jeopardized the success of the film.”
“Rebel’s statements carry the clear and unmistakable defamatory meaning: that [the producers] criminally embezzled funds from the film.”
