First it was Scarlett Johansson. Now Gerard Butler has become the latest Hollywood star to sue a film studio, claiming he has been short-changed.
The Scottish actor, 51, filed a writ in California on Friday, claiming that he is owed at least $10 million (£7.2 million) from the producers of the 2013 film Olympus Has Fallen, in which he played the lead role.
According to Butler’s claim, he was entitled to a share of profits and a percentage of takings from box-office receipts. He alleges that Nu Image, Millennium Media and Padre Nuestro Productions understated box-office receipts, unfairly denying him money, according to Variety magazine. Butler is reported to have hired an auditor who found accounting irregularities, including a payment of $8 million to executives.
The lawsuit says “producers have earned tens of millions of dollars from Olympus, but refuse to pay Butler a penny of the grosses and profits promised to him” from the successful franchise, adding: “He demands his fair share.”
In Olympus Has Fallen, Butler plays secret service agent Mike Banning, who deals with a terrorist attack on the White House. It earned about $170 million worldwide and spawned two sequels: London Has Fallen and Angels Have Fallen. Despite being panned by critics, they were box-office successes.
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Johansson, 36, launched a lawsuit against Disney last week alleging breach of contract over the release last month of the Marvel superhero film Black Widow. Johansson said that she was unfairly deprived of up to $50 million because the studio released the film in cinemas and on its Disney+ streaming service.
The actress said she was guaranteed an exclusive cinema release, and that her contract was based on its box-office performance. Disney denied the claims.
The film companies did not respond to a request for comment about Butler’s lawsuit.
