Latest news with #Horizon2
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
'Horizon 2' stunt double sues Kevin Costner for unscripted rape sequence
A stunt performer has filed a lawsuit against actor-filmmaker Kevin Costner, claiming she was compelled to enact an unscripted rape scene on the set of his film Horizon 2 without adequate safety protocols or her consent. Devyn LaBella, who served as the primary stunt performer for Ella Hunt's character, Juliette, in Costner's Horizon series, claims in her suit that the filmmaker improvised a sequence depicting the character's rape. According to the legal filing, Hunt declined to do the scene. LaBella's lawsuit asserts that she was then brought to the project as a replacement without prior warning consent. Crucially, she alleges, an intimacy coordinator was not present during the filming of the scene. The set, LaBella claims, was not even closed off to others at the time of filming the scene. LaBella's complaint states the experience left her feeling humiliation and trauma. In a personal statement, she expressed profound distress. 'On that day, I was left exposed, unprotected, and deeply betrayed by a system that promised safety and professionalism. What happened to me shattered my trust and forever changed how I move through this industry,' it states. As per the lawsuit, the incident breached protocols that SAG-AFTRA established; the labour union mandates 48 hours' notice and consent for sequences involving simulated sex or nudity. The alleged incident occurred on May 02, 2023, during filming in Utah. Notably, LaBella had enacted a separate, scripted rape sequence the day prior, which her suit claims was handled professionally. That scene, according to the lawsuit, happened at a closed set with rehearsals and the presence of an intimacy coordinator. Kate McFarlane, LaBella's attorney, characterised the situation as indicative of broader industry issues: 'This case is a clear example of male-dominated, sexist Hollywood movie production. Our client was subjected to brutal sexual conduct completely unprotected from the obvious harm.' Through Marty Singer, his attorney, Kevin Costner has vehemently refuted the allegations. Singer issued a statement asserting that Costner 'always wants to make sure that everyone is comfortable working on his films and takes safety on set very seriously.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Insider Reveals How Child Actors Were Left Terrified On Kevin Costner's ‘Horizon 2' Set
A disturbing scene on the set of Kevin Costner's "Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2" has reportedly traumatized child actors who were within earshot of an unscripted, violent rape scene. A production insider revealed that the kids weren't warned and were left scared and confused, prompting serious questions about safety and transparency on Costner's set. An insider from the Horizon 2 production team has come forward with troubling details about how the film's young cast members were caught in the emotional crossfire of a shocking unscripted rape scene. According to TMZ, the violent and graphic scene, directed by Kevin Costner, was filmed on May 2, 2023, without prior notice to the crew or nearby child actors. The insider told the outlet that the moment 'was filmed within earshot of child actors … and neither they nor their adult counterparts were given any heads up about the loud, explicit moment.' Without any forewarning, the children suddenly heard a woman screaming 'bloody murder,' sending waves of panic through the young cast. 'The kids were scared and upset,' the source shared, noting that adults scrambled to reassure them, though no one really knew what was happening. Stunt performer, Devyn LaBella, filed a lawsuit against Costner, claiming she was forced to perform a "violent, unscripted, unscheduled rape scene" with no prior consent, preparation, or presence of an intimacy coordinator. The insider told TMZ that the chaos surrounding the shoot wasn't just traumatizing for LaBella but also reflected a total breakdown in standard safety procedures for everyone on set, especially the children. LaBella had already filmed a rehearsed and approved sexual assault scene on May 1, but she said she was shocked when she arrived the following day to discover she was being asked to film another explicit scene with no script or guidelines. 'There were whispers on set the next day,' the insider recalled. 'People said it was an 'uncomfortable' night, but for the most part, whatever occurred was very 'hush hush.'' LaBella claims there was no contractually required intimacy coordinator present, and she had not been given the 48-hour notice required by SAG guidelines for scenes involving nudity or simulated sex. In her lawsuit, she accused Costner and the production companies of acting 'with malice, fraud, oppression, and in reckless disregard' of her rights. Costner, who directed and starred in "Horizon 2," is at the center of LaBella's lawsuit. She alleged that he personally asked her to perform in the unplanned scene after the lead actress, Ella Hunt, reportedly refused and walked off the set. According to the filing, Costner allegedly failed to call 'action' or 'cut' during the shoot, which left LaBella uncertain when the traumatic scene had started or ended. She said she was left feeling 'exposed, unprotected, and deeply betrayed by a system that promised safety and professionalism.' 'What happened to me shattered my trust and forever changed how I move through this industry,' she told PEOPLE Magazine. Costner's attorney Marty Singer has fiercely denied the allegations in a chat with TMZ, calling LaBella a 'serial accuser of people in the entertainment industry' and stating that the lawsuit has 'absolutely no merit.' He claimed LaBella had rehearsed the scene with another actor and even sent a grateful text message to the stunt coordinator afterward. 'Kevin always wants to make sure that everyone is comfortable working on his films and takes safety on set very seriously,' Singer said. The lawsuit against Costner comes following his bitter divorce from Christine Baumgartner. However, despite the divorce, the veteran actor is reportedly enjoying the single life and 'playing the field' at 70. The Oscar-winning actor was recently spotted getting cozy with a mystery brunette at Raspoutine Night Club in West Hollywood. Sources say they chatted for nearly an hour and exchanged physical gestures like touching shoulders and hands. Although the pair didn't arrive or leave together, witnesses noted their chemistry. Insiders told the Daily Mail that Costner isn't looking to settle down and is simply enjoying attention from multiple women. One source said, "Kevin gets hit on everywhere he goes, and this is no different. He has lots of women who are vying for his time and attention." Since his split, Costner has also been linked to several celebrities, including singer Jewel, Jennifer Lopez, and Sharon Stone. Costner and Baumgartner's marriage, which began in 2004, ended in 2023 after she filed for divorce. They share three children and were involved in a contentious custody battle that resulted in Costner agreeing to joint custody and paying $63,000 monthly in child support. While some speculated "Yellowstone" filming caused the split, sources claimed otherwise. In a 2024 interview on "CBS Mornings," Costner called the divorce 'a crushing moment' and admitted, 'It hurt.' Despite the emotional fallout, he said he must remain strong for his children, noting per The Blast, 'I can't wilt like a daisy. I have to go forward. I have to go forward. I have to continue to be who I am, and keep a special eye on who [my children] are.'
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Stunt double sues Kevin Costner over forced, unscripted rape scene on ‘Horizon 2'
LOS ANGELES, May 30 — A stunt performer on Horizon 2 filed a lawsuit against Kevin Costner on Tuesday, alleging she was compelled to participate in an unplanned rape scene that lacked standard safety measures and consent protocols. As reported by Variety, Devyn LaBella, who served as the lead stunt double for actress Ella Hunt — portraying the character Juliette — claims that Costner, the director, introduced an improvised scene in which Juliette would be assaulted. According to the lawsuit, Hunt declined to take part, prompting producers to substitute LaBella with little notice or explanation. The complaint asserts that LaBella was made to perform the scene without prior briefing, consent, or the supervision of an intimacy coordinator. It further alleges that the male actor involved was directed to simulate physical aggression, including pinning LaBella down and forcefully lifting her skirt, all while the set remained open and unregulated. The complaint states that LaBella was left feeling humiliated and traumatised by the ordeal. 'On that day, I was left exposed, unprotected, and deeply betrayed by a system that promised safety and professionalism,' LaBella was quoted as saying in a statement. 'What happened to me shattered my trust and forever changed how I move through this industry.' The lawsuit claims the scene breached SAG-AFTRA guidelines, which require at least 48 hours' notice and explicit consent for any nudity or simulated sex. The incident reportedly occurred on May 2, 2023, during filming in Utah. In a statement to the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday, Costner's attorney, Martin Singer, has strongly denied the allegations made by LaBella, calling the claims completely 'without merit' and contradicted by LaBella's own behaviour and the facts. Singer labelled LaBella a 'serial accuser' in the entertainment industry and accused her and her legal team of using 'shakedown tactics'. He stated that the disputed scene was explained to LaBella, who rehearsed it and indicated her willingness to perform it if needed, though she ultimately did not have to shoot it. According to publication, LaBella's representatives had not responded to requests for comment.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
AI's Napster Moment May Be Next
Two years ago this month, the Writers Guild of America went on strike for, among other key issues, a set of landmark AI protections to safeguard our writing and our finished work. It took six months of sustained solidarity, picketing and an outpouring of public support — everyone from fellow unions, politicians and yes, even Elon Musk — before the studios finally met our demands. Today, writers, journalists and creatives across every medium are facing a new kind of existential threat to their professions from the interests of Silicon Valley. Tech companies have been openly lobbying the White House to rewrite copyright law to freely train their models on films, television shows, articles, books and beyond without paying so much as a dime to studios, publishers or writers. OpenAI has been referring to this as 'the freedom to learn.' In New Jersey, it's just called theft. More from The Hollywood Reporter New Report Portrays California's Film and TV Production Environment as Uniquely Burdensome and Expensive Kevin Costner Sued By 'Horizon 2' Stunt Performer Over Unscripted Rape Scene Will Smith Music Video Makes Union Deal With IATSE After Strike Three weeks ago, Shira Perlmutter, the Director of the U.S. Copyright Office, was fired shortly after publishing a new report on Generative AI Training. The release advocated for preserving current copyright law and signaled a setback for Sam Altman's craven attempt to expand the Fair Use doctrine into a smash and grab campaign on decades of copyrighted material. In other words, tech companies cannot use stolen intellectual property in their models. In the meantime, dozens of ongoing lawsuits against OpenAI (ChatGPT), Anthropic (Claude), Google (Gemini) and Meta (Llama) making their way through the courts. Without a sympathetic judge willing to distort fair use, these companies could find themselves liable in billions of theft, potentially even more in damages, and in some cases, face total bankruptcy. But we've been down this road before with Napster. The company launched as a free file-sharing app in 1999. Almost overnight people around the world could download entire music libraries in seconds. It was a groundbreaking use of technology that, at the time, felt too good to be true. And that's because it was. Napster was quickly sued out of existence for copyright infringement and racketeering. Since then, every major media tech platforms — YouTube, Spotify and even OpenAI until recently — have been making deals with studios, publishers and labels to compensate them for using their copyrighted work. While many of these agreements have been deeply flawed and exploitive, the firing of Shira Perlmutter represents a pivot to something much worse. Silicon Valley is now asking the government for permission to steal our copyright in order to escape their pending lawsuits. They are knowingly trying to de-value our professions and countless others in order to freely enrich themselves without caring about the consequences. In the case of screenwriters, copyright of an original script is sold to the studios in exchange for core benefits like health care, pension and residuals. This is one of the bedrock principles that has helped sustain writers during the highs and lows of this business. But if copyright protections were to be stripped away, then so begins the unraveling of the entire value proposition that union members past and present have fought so hard to maintain in the film and television industry. In April, Sam Altman appeared on stage with Chris Anderson, the head of TED, who pointed out, 'At first glance, this (ChatGPT) looks like I.P. theft.' The audience erupted in applause until Sam fired back, 'Clap about that all you want. Enjoy.' And then Sam said something far more revealing, 'We do need to figure out some new model around the economics for compensating creative output. Exactly what that looks like I'm not sure.' But the copyright system isn't broken. Companies like OpenAI simply don't want to negotiate consent and pay. So, Sam can shrug about 'the economics for compensating creative output' all he wants. Enjoy. The solution will always be the same. Stop stealing writers work and follow the law. Larry J. Cohen and Sarah Montana are the co-chairs of the Writers Guild of America East AI Task Force. Cohen is a writer, producer and director who currently serves on the WGAE council. Montana is a writer and public speaker who currently serves on WGAE council. Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire
7NEWS
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
Kevin Costner hit with lawsuit over ‘violent' rape scene in Horizon 2 movie
Kevin Costner has been sued by a stunt performer from the set of Horizon 2, who claims she was put in an unscripted rape scene without warning or proper filming safety protocols. Devyn LaBella, 34, filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the Horizon series, production company Territory Pictures and Costner — the director, producer and star of the film series — alleging sexual harassment, hostile work environment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The 'violent, unscripted, unscheduled' rape scene unfolded during filming in Utah on May 2, 2023, according to the complaint. LeBella said filming the scene filled her with shame, upended her career and left her reeling with permanent trauma. Horizon: An American Saga is a four-part series written, directed and produced by and starring Costner, chronicling the settlement of the American West. Chapter 1 of the series was released in June 2024, and Chapter 2 debuted at film festivals but has not had a theatrical release. Marty Singer, an attorney for Costner, said in a statement on Wednesday that LaBella's claim has 'absolutely no merit' and is 'completely contradicted by her own actions'. 'As a stunt performer on Horizon 2, the scene in question was explained to Ms. LaBella, and after she performed the rehearsal in character with another actor, she gave her Stunt Coordinator supervisor a 'thumbs up' and indicated her willingness to then shoot the scene, if needed (which she was not),' Singer said. Attorneys for LaBella said the lawsuit seeks to 'address the continued failures at the highest levels of Hollywood production companies' and the need for intimacy coordination. The Horizon series and Territory Pictures did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The scene According to the lawsuit, LaBella had entered into a SAG-AFTRA contract with the movie company as the lead stunt double for the series' lead actor, Ella Hunt. In her role, 'LaBella's job was to step in for the actor during physical scenes and to perform the stunt while the cameras were rolling,' the complaint said. 'Such scenes are usually rehearsed and choreographed to ensure safety and accuracy.' For the first few weeks on set in spring 2023, she performed her stunts without incident. Then, things 'changed drastically' on May 2, the complaint said. When Hunt arrived on set that day, she learned that Costner had requested additional scenes not on the call sheet in which actor Roger Ivens was to climb on top of her and violently hike up her skirt, simulating a rape scene, the complaint said. The scene was not specified for that day, no closed set was specified, and no arrangements were made for the set's intimacy coordinator to be present during filming, the filing said. 'Due to the ad hoc and violent nature of the sudden script change request, along with the failure to secure a contractually required intimacy coordinator for the scene, Ms. Hunt became visibly upset and walked off the set, refusing to do the scene,' the complaint said. LaBella was unaware that Hunt had left, and Costner asked her to 'stand in' for Hunt to 'line up (a) shot', the complaint said. LaBella was not a stand-in performer, and such a task was not within her scope as a stunt double, but she agreed. She was not warned about the sexual nature of the scene, which she learned about when Ivens was already on top of her in a wagon and violently pulled up her skirt, the complaint said, adding Costner was fully in charge of directing the action filmed that day. 'Without proper notice, consent, preparation or appropriate safeguard measures in place, such as the project's intimacy coordinator being called in, Defendant Costner directed Mr. Ivens to repeatedly perform a violent simulated rape on Ms. LaBella,' the complaint said. The suit says such a scene is in violation of SAG-AFTRA rules that mandate a performer doing a scene simulating sex must have written consent in the form of a rider that must be provided at least 48 hours before call time. SAG-AFTRA also prohibits such last-minute changes. The movie set failed to supply details of the scene on the call sheet in advance, failed to have rehearsals and did not provide an intimacy coordinator, and the set was not closed, the complaint said. Furthermore, despite the privacy of the scene, it was broadcast publicly on monitors for the entire crew to witness while the set was open, the complaint said. 'Indeed, there were multiple onlookers along with the producers watching this scene unfold on monitors in the video village,' it said. The complaint alleged that Costner also failed to consistently announce 'action' and 'cut' to make it clear when the scene began or ended. It also said there were no breaks in which the actors separated to reset. LaBella could not escape the situation, and all she could do was 'wait for the nightmare to end,' the complaint said. The suit said the movie set filmed a rape scene the previous day, May 1, in which, in sharp contrast with May 2, all the proper safety protocols were followed. The aftermath After the scene, LaBella was left in the wagon alone, feeling shocked, embarrassed and humiliated and holding back tears, the complaint said. After her stunt coordinator saw she was upset, she was told the production team would use a body double for such scenes in the future. She met with her stunt coordinator and two other stunt coordinators for dinner and expressed her concern and outrage, but the male attendees 'blamed her for not speaking up', the suit alleged. Singer, Costner's attorney, rebutted the claim, saying LaBella had dinner with her supervising stunt coordinator and was in 'good spirits and made no complaints to them'. The day after the filming, LaBella also contacted the intimacy coordinator and told her about what happened, according to the lawsuit. LaBella suffered bouts of crying on and off set in the following days, the complaint said. She went home to spend time with her family for a few days. But when she returned to set, she found that the production team was 'now extra careful' around her, and she was directed to stay alone in her trailer and not be present on set, according to the complaint. In June 2023, LaBella began therapy to address symptoms from the traumatic experience, 'including intrusive distressing memories', sleep disturbance, fears of intimacy, and anxiety, it said. After her complaints of sexual harassment on set, LaBella was not hired back to continue as a stunt double for Horizon 3, which began filming in early 2024. She also was not hired again for any other projects by her stunt coordinator, according to the complaint. 'On that day, I was left exposed, unprotected, and deeply betrayed by a system that promised safety and professionalism,' LaBella said in a statement on Wednesday. 'What happened to me shattered my trust and forever changed how I move through this industry. 'This experience has ignited in me a lifelong mission to be the advocate I once needed, ensuring no one else is ever left as vulnerable as I was.' The suit alleges sexual discrimination, sexual harassment, creation of a hostile work environment based on sex, failure to remedy/prevent discrimination and harassment, retaliation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. It seeks compensatory and punitive damages and asks that the defendants submit to anti-sexual harassment and anti-sexual violence training, that the defendants be required to engage an intimacy coordinator on all future productions and that the defendants issue a public apology to LaBella.
