Making a movie is far from an easy task, and while there are plenty of movies made with relatively few issues, there are going to be times when production is troubled from start to finish. Performers don’t always get along, directors clash with others, and studios can run into unexpected financial issues that wind up causing headaches for the rest of the folks involved.
During the 2010s, Evan Rachel Wood was set to star in a film called 10 Things I Hate About Life, which was going to serve as an indirect sequel of sorts to 10 Things I Hate About You. Unfortunately, this movie never saw the light of day, and Wood found herself slapped with a $30 million lawsuit.
Let’s take a look back and see what in the world happened here.
She Was Set To Star In 10 Things I Hate About Life
Few movies from the late 90s have continued to live on quite like 10 Things I Hate About You, and even though there are elements of the film that can feel dated, the movie has remained loved by the fans and has continued to bring in new fans each year. Because of the success of the movie, there was once a point in time when a sequel was greenlit by the studio.
According to Den Of Geek, the next project by Hate’s director, Gil Junger, was set to be called 10 Things I Hate About Life, and it was going to focus on characters that weren't necessarily confined to what was already established in the first film. It was clearly going for a more mature direction but was hoping to retain some of the charm that it had already utilized to catch on with the fans.
During this time, the talented Evan Rachel Wood had signed on to take part in the movie. She had already proven herself to be a talent after years in the business and was going to be able to thrive on screen. Not only had Evan Rachel Woods replaced Hayley Atwell to star in the movie, but other performers, like Billy Campbell, were also attached to the project.
Once filming kicked off, things would not go off without a hitch. In fact, there would be a number of issues that would arise, one of which would eventually send things into chaos and ignite a massive lawsuit against one of the stars of the movie.
Wood Left The Project
After production got underway, there would be multiple delays that would push things back. This is not too uncommon in the business, but one uncommon thing about this particular instance is that the studio was allegedly having some major financial troubles, causing some issues with things remaining underway.
Not only did production stop due to some financial issues, but Wood found herself pregnant and needed time off, as well. This is perfectly understandable, and after a long time away from set, Wood gave birth to her child. The studio assumed that things could pick up soon thereafter, but this was not the case.
After trying to resume filming in 2014, things would quickly unravel at the seams, and this project, which at one point seemed like it had some potential, was going down in flames. Wood was not coming back to make the movie after everything that had taken place, and now, the rest of the team found themselves in limbo.
The Lawsuit Is Filed
Several months into 2014, the produces of the film filed a lawsuit against Evan Rachel Woods. They were suing the actress for a staggering $30 million, which is exponentially more than the $300,000 they paid the actress, per Den Of Geek.
The lawsuit would say that Wood “seemingly changed her mind about desiring to complete the film during principal photography, ultimately refusing without any legal justification to fulfill her contractual obligations and instead opting to walk out on the project.”
A representative for Wood told Deadline, “The lawsuit is preposterous and simply a bullying tactic from financially troubled producers. The production shut down in February 2013 when the producers ran out of money. Even after that, Evan agreed to resume production in Nov. 2013 by which time the producers said they would have cleared up their issues.”
The statement continued, saying, “However, the producers still could not get their act together, nor did they pay Evan money that was owed. Repeated subsequent promises by the producers to resume production and pay Evan also turned out to be false. Enough is enough. The producers, not Evan, have breached contract.”
At this point, it doesn’t seem like there has been a resolution in the lawsuit and that the film will never be finished.
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