Martin Scorsese Settles Lawsuit over Movie Deal

Oscar winner Martin Scorsese and an Italian film producer have settled the latter's lawsuit in which The Wolf of Wall Street director was alleged to have failed to keep a promise to make a movie based on a Japanese novel.

An order released Jan. 17 from the courtroom of Los Angeles Superior
Court Judge Maureen Duffy-Lewis stated that Vittorio Cecchi Gori's case against the 71-year-old director “has been settled in its entirety.”

No terms were divulged.

Cecchi Gori sued Scorsese in August 2012. The suit alleged breach of contract and both intentional and negligent misrepresentation.

Cecchi Gori maintained his production company contracted with Scorsese and his Sikelia Productions for him to direct Silence, a book by Shusaku Endo about missionaries sent to Japan in 1683 to investigate reports of Christians being tortured by the emperor.

But according to Scorsese's lawyers' court papers, Cecchi Gori “manufactured specious claims” against their client. The lawyers maintain the deal involving Silence was contingent on Scorsese obtaining financing for
the film.
   ``This is a case where (Scorsese) has paid plaintiffs over $3.5
million ... in connection with two of the last three motion pictures directed
by Scorsese,'' the director's attorneys stated in their court papers.
``Although the parties had hoped to commence production of ('Silence')  in
2012, through no fault of Scorsese's they were unable to do so.''

Cecchi Gori maintains he invested $750,000 to develop the film property and that Scorsese agreed in 1990 to direct it.

"As recently as December 2011 and January 2012, Scorsese announced to the worldwide press that his next film project was Silence, the suit states.

"Scorsese made those same statements to the Cecchi Gori parties at that time and then made them repeatedly and consistently to the Cecchi Gori parties from that time through at least April 2012."

However, published reports state that Scorsese agreed last year to begin working on Silence.

The Wolf of Wall Street has been nominated for five Academy Awards, including Leonardo DiCaprio for best actor and Scorsese for best director.

Scorsese won the same award for the 2006 film The Departed, which also starred DiCaprio.

--City News Service