We haven't seen Eva Green on the big screen in over a year, and based on the box office, it doesn't appear all that many people actually saw her in the Dumbo remake. We also haven't heard much about what she's been up to as far as future film projects. It seems that at least part of the reason for that is that the actress was set to star in an upcoming science fiction movie called A Patriot, which was supposed to film last year. However, production was postponed a couple of times before being cancelled altogether, and now Green is suing the producers to the tune of $1 million that she claims she's owed.
Eva Green has filed a suit with the U.K/s High Court arguing that she had a "pay or play" agreement with production company White Lantern Film (Britannica) Ltd. which entitled her to the million dollars, which is apparently currently sitting in an escrow account, whether or not the movie was actually made. White Lantern allegedly claimed that last October Eva Green breached the agreement, and thus is not entitled to the money. The Daily Mail, which reported on the suit, was unable to ascertain how Green allegedly breached the agreement.
In addition to the $1 million, Eva Green is asking that her legal fees be covered.
A Patriot was written by, and set to be directed by Dan Pringle, and focused on Eva Green's character, a border guard in a futuristic authoritarian state who begins to question her own allegiance to the regime. Tim Robbins and Kathy Bates were originally set to star. Eva Green was set to appear alongside Game of Thrones' Charles Dance and Helen Hunt before the production was shutdown.
Sherborne Media Capital, which took over White Lantern, will not comment on the case as it is an ongoing legal matter. Eva Green was notified of the takeover in February and was apparently given notice of the termination of her artist agreement at that time, but Green's suit argues that was too late.
It's unclear if A Patriot is essentially a dead project that will never see the light of day, or if it's just shutdown for the moment, resulting in Eva Green and others leaving the project as Tim Robbins and Kathy Bates apparently did before. The reason for the two previous production delays are not explained. Certainly, right now, getting a new project off the ground is essentially impossible. As with any delayed project, it could certainly find new life eventually, though it's certainly possible that the outcome of this lawsuit could determine how much money there is to make the movie happen.
Hopefully, once filming of movies does get back up and running Eva Green will find a new project to get involved with.
