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Adrien Brody wins lawsuit to stop distribution of 'Giallo' horror film

11/24/2010 by Corinne Heller

Adrien Brody has won a $3 million lawsuit to stop the distribution of "Giallo", a DVD horror film he filmed in Italy two years ago.

In Giallo, Brody plays a police inspector who teams up with a woman to try and rescue her sister, who she fears has been kidnapped by a sadistic killer. The DVD has been in rental stores since September 7.

A federal judge ruled earlier this week that the fim's production companies cannot distribute "Giallo" in the United States" without compensating Brody, The Hollywood Reporter said. It adding that the ruling does not stop sales of the DVDs, whose covers feature photos of the actor, but says Brody's likeness cannot be used in the film or in its promotional efforts.

The judge wrote that Brody is "suffering, and will continue to suffer, immediate and irreparable harm" without an injunction, the trade publication said.

Brody had said that he learned after the first week of filming that the movie's producers failed to deposit $640,000 of his fee into an escrow account, as required in his contract, and that his demands to withhold "Giallo" were ignored.

He said in his lawsuit that film producers had told him they had "new guaranteed funding lined up" and requested that he sign an agreement to defer his payment in exchange for the "absolute right to withhold consent to the use of his likeness in the film until he was paid.

Brody is known for is Oscar-winning role in the 2002 film "The Pianist" and recently starred in the sci-fi horror film "Predators".