Rebel Wilson's film The Deb is mired in legal action – so what happened?

The Age

3 days ago

It all sounded so promising. After Hollywood success with Bridesmaids, the Pitch Perfect trilogy and Jojo Rabbit, Rebel Wilson's first film as director, the Australian musical comedy, The Deb, was strong enough to be selected for closing night at the Toronto International Film Festival last year.
It centred on two teenagers – big-hearted farm girl Taylah (Natalie Abbott) and her cynical city cousin Maeve (Charlotte MacInnes) – attending a debutant ball in the fictional country town of Dunburn. Wilson played the town's beautician in a solid supporting cast that included Tara Morice, Shane Jacobson, Susan Prior and the late Julian McMahon.
With a script by Hannah Reilly, who, with musician Meg Washington, wrote the stage show on which the film is based, The Deb had all the makings of a hit in the tradition of Muriel's Wedding and The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert.
But 10 months after the world premiere in September last year, the film is caught up in a particularly bitter legal dispute.
Why wasn't The Deb released after it premiered in Toronto?
The drama around The Deb emerged when Wilson told her 11 million Instagram followers in a video post in July last year that executive producer Vince Holden and producers Amanda Ghost and Gregor Cameron were trying to block the Toronto premiere. She claimed in the video this was in retaliation for her reporting what she alleged was 'inappropriate behaviour towards the lead actress' and 'embezzling funds from the film's budget'.
'They're saying, you know, it can't come out,' Wilson said in a video on the social media platform. 'They might not release it, they might bury it. This is the work of hundreds of people who have put their heart and soul into this. And this behaviour is absolutely vile and disgusting.'
The producers quickly and emphatically denied Wilson's allegations, saying they were false, defamatory and disappointing.
'Her self-promotional claims are clearly intended to cause reputational harm to the individuals who have supported her directorial debut film, The Deb – a joyous movie that we're very proud of and are looking forward to sharing with audiences. For her to promote a false narrative to advance her own agenda undermines the film and all the people who worked on this project.'