Rebel Wilson's directorial debut is turning out to be somewhat of a nightmare, after accusations she made against three of her film's producers has resulted in a defamation lawsuit.
Last week, the Pitch Perfect actress posted a video on Instagram claiming that three "so-called producers" of her film, The Deb, were blocking its intended premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
"To have the joy of the movie being selected is one thing, but then, to have the business partners that are involved in that movie turn around and say that no, the movie can't premiere, is just beyond devastating," she said.
Wilson alleged that she had previously uncovered "bad behavior" by Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron, and Vince Holden, which she subsequently reported.
"Not minor things. Big things. Inappropriate behavior towards the lead actress of the film, embezzling funds from the film's budget," she said. "Since I reported that behavior, I have been met with absolute viciousness and retaliatory behavior."
In response to Wilson's video, the producers filed a defamation suit against her in California on Friday, saying the statements she had made were "demonstrably false," while making allegations of their own.
"She flatly refused to collaborate with Plaintiffs, absconded from the Film for months at a time, behaved unprofessionally with employees of the Film, and repeatedly made unauthorized and improper disclosures about the Film," reads a portion of the suit, according to People.
They further claimed that the film was being held up by "numerous credit and licensing disputes instigated by Rebel" who they say wanted a writing credit on the film as well the rights to its original music. They also called her "a bully who will disregard the interests of others to promote her own."
Wilson responded with another Instagram post — a photo of her with the cast and crew, which she captioned, "It’s not defamation if it’s the TRUTH." Multiple crew members have since weighed in on that post, showing their support and claiming she was "nothing but professional" on set.
"Let our cool movie play at Toronto and stop messing about with a rubbish defamation suit against me!" she added.