Gerard Butler Tentatively Settles With Production Firms Over Film Profits
Gerard Butler has reached a tentative settlement with Nu Image/Millennium Films and Padre Nuestro Productions LLC concerning his lawsuit alleging he is owed at least $10 million in compensation for the 2013 movie “Olympus Has Fallen.”
Butler, 53, sued Nu Image/Millennium Films and Padre Nuestro in Los Angeles Superior Court in July 2021, maintaining that the production companies understated domestic and foreign revenue by tens of millions of dollars and never reported $8 million given the firm’s executives.
On Tuesday, defense attorneys filed court papers with Judge Jon R. Takasugi notifying him of a “conditional” settlement of the case and that a request for dismissal will be filed by Jan. 5. No terms were divulged.
The production company lawyers maintained in previous court papers that Butler’s case involved a contract dispute and that his additional causes of action for fraud, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing and intentional interference with contractual relations, as well as his request for an accounting, should be dismissed.
The only wrongs allegedly committed by any of the defendants are PNP’s purported violations of the terms of its agreement with Butler and the only harm Butler allegedly suffered is the cotractual/economic damages caused by PNP’s purported breach or breaches, defense lawyers further maintained in their court papers.
“Olympus Has Fallen” had worldwide earnings of $170 million. Butler also starred in two successful sequels, “London Has Fallen”* and “Angel Has Fallen,” once again as U.S. Secret Service Agent Mike Banning.
According to the lawsuit, the production companies made tens of millions of dollars from “Olympus,” but didn’t share any of the gross revenue and profits promised to Butler according to the parties’ contract.
“Instead, producers embarked on a scheme designed to grossly misrepresent the finances of the film to Butler so that Butler would believe that no such payments were due,” the suit alleged.
