London Fields has been pulled from the Toronto International Film Festival after the director sued the producers, claiming they altered the movie and added “offensive imagery” about Islam and the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Festival organisers said the decision to halt the screening was based on “uncertainty surrounding the creative vision” of the version they had, which had been set to be shown today (September 18).

Director Mathew Cullen filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles against Muse Productions Inc and producers Christopher Hanley and Jordan Gertner. A statement released on behalf of the company expressed disappointment that the film had been pulled and accused Cullen of missing deadlines to deliver the film to producers.

London Fields, based on a Martin Amis novel, is Cullen’s directorial debut for a feature film and has an impressive cast list including Amber Heard, Theo James and Billy Bob Thornton.

Amber Heard
Amber Heard (Marc Andrew Deley/Invision)

He is best known as a Grammy-winning commercial and music video director and has worked with Katy Perry, The Black Eyed Peas and Weezer.

The lawsuit states: “In creating their own version of the film, defendants have interjected scenes and footage that are highly offensive and neither appear in the script nor are a part of the film that Cullen was asked to direct.”

Along with the allegations about content, the lawsuit accuses producers of failing to properly finance the film or pay Cullen for his work and expenses, which total more than one million dollars.

Cullen is asking a judge to rule the producers do not have the right to attach his name to the film without his consent.

Mathew Cullen
Mathew Cullen (Matt Sayles/AP)

“Sadly, Mathew can’t deal with the fact that he does not control the final cut of the movie,” said the statement released by publicist Maxine Leonard on behalf of the producers. “He was given two deadlines to deliver a ‘director’s cut’ and missed both deadlines. His guild has rules for withdrawing his name from the picture, and he missed those deadlines.”

Cullen’s attorney, Alex Weingarten, responded to Muse Production’s statements in an email.

“It is unfortunate that the producers continue to attempt to distort the facts, but it is no longer unexpected,” Weingarten wrote. He said that Hanley and Gertner promised to provide the means to finish both a director’s cut and a producer’s cut for consideration, but failed then to produce those resources.

“They prevented him from finishing a Director’s Cut and are now attempting use the situation that they created as a defence,” Weingarten said. “This is no publicity stunt.”