Guy Ritchie Sued By ‘The Gentlemen’ Writer Over Breach Of Contract, Seeking ‘Credit For Original Work’

etcanada.com:

Guy Ritchie is facing a lawsuit for his Matthew McConaughey- led film “The Gentlemen”. The lawsuit was filed last month in the London High Court by writer and actor Mickey De Hara, who claims he was hired by Ritchie to write a sequel to his 2008 gangster flick “RockNRolla”.

De Hara delivered the screenplay, “about a protagonist who runs a marijuana business,” as per Variety, to Ritchie in 2018, however he claims the director told him that “the time of the gangster movie was over,” suggesting the project was axed.

Nonetheless, “The Gentlemen” was released two years later. De Hara claims that the film, which also stars Charlie Hunnam and Michelle Dockery, is a “substantial” reproduction of his script, given McConaughey portrays a gangster named Mickey who is trying to sell off his marijuana empire. READ MORE: ‘The Covenant’: Jake Gyllenhaal Is A Man On A Mission In New Guy Ritchie Film De Hara’s lawsuit not only states that “The Gentlemen” is a replica of his cast of characters and their characterization, but that it also copies “unique aspects of the plot,” including the protagonist-run marijuana empire and an aristocrat with a drug-addicted child.

According to legal documents, one scene in particular was reproduced directly from De Hara’s script. The scene in question sees Colin Farrell’s character “Coach,” who “leads a group of fighters called The Toddlers, get into a scuffle with some youths in a cafe and squirts vinegar into their eyes,” as per Variety.