“The Deb” is Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut, and it’s set to close the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
This film has been plagued with lots of back-and-forth, lawsuits and questionable behavior. Wilson had originally accused “The Deb” producers in trying to bar the film from debuting at TIFF 2024. Then she went on to claim that they embezzled funds and harassed her.
Now, IndieWire is reporting that producers Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron, and Vince Holden have filed a legal defamation complaint against Wilson. Their case claims that Wilson “refused to collaborate” with producers and would sometimes not show up to the set of her own film, for “months at a time.” Wilson is accused of also “behaving unprofessionally with employees of the film and repeatedly making unauthorized and improper disclosures about the film.”
The filing alleges that Wilson tried to take full credit for writing “The Deb” screenplay, even though, according to producers, rising screenwriter Hannah Reilly actually penned it and Wilson only did “additional writing.”
Wilson is being accused of “fabricating false and malicious lies to hide her own lack of professionalism.” They say that there’s been a pattern over the years and that among those “lies” listed include Wilson’s accusation of her former “The Brothers Grimsby” co-star Sacha Baron Cohen of harassment. Cohen denied the claims against him earlier this year.
Wilson, best known for playing “Fat Amy” in “Pitch Perfect,” has slimmed down these last few years. It also looks as though the roles have dried up ever since she lost all of that weight — her last credit was in 2022’s underseen “The Almond and the Seahorse.”
What I don’t get is why anyone would want to invest in Fat Amy’s directorial debut.
Still no distributor for "Bucking Fastard," "Alpha Gang," "The Last Photograph," "Closing Night," and "The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd." The issue seems to be quality more than a lack of willingness to buy.