BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Australian actor Rebel Wilson returned to a court in Sydney on Monday over her directorial debut, “The Deb,” with producers accusing her of sabotaging the 2024 musical comedy.
AI Film Production Limited is suing Wilson in the New South Wales state Supreme Court alleging she undermined and blocked the release of the film, causing the Britain-based production company financial and reputational damage.
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The film's release was shelved in 2024, after Wilson fell out with co-producers Amanda Ghost, her husband Greg Cameron and Vince Holden. It was eventually released in April this year.
The star of the “Pitch Perfect” films and “Bridesmaids” won a defamation suit in the Federal Court in Sydney in July. That suit had been brought by the star of the “The Deb,” Australian actor Charlotte MacInnes.
Wilson’s social media posts in July 2024 are at the center of both suits.
The three AI Film co-producers alleged Wilson accused them of inappropriate behavior conduct toward MacInnes, embezzling money and trying to block the film's release.
They said that Wilson and her company Camp Sugar Productions breached consumer law concerning misleading conduct and breached various contracts by making allegedly defamatory statements about them to her 11 million Instagram followers.
Wilson was accused of preventing the film's release by undermining negotiations with potential distributors and threatening an injunction against showing the film in Australia.
AI Film is seeking unspecified damages as well as an apology from Wilson for misleading and deceptive conduct. AI Film is also seeking corrective advertising.
In a cross-claim, Wilson and Camp Sugar alleged the three co-producers' involvement in the film was marked by “a troubling pattern of illicit egregious behaviors, including theft, bullying and sexual misconduct.”
Wilson said that Ghost broke verbal agreements over writing credits and a soundtrack album deal. Wilson also alleged Cameron and Holden embezzled 900,000 Australian dollars ($642,000) from a joint venture company set up to make the movie.
Wilson sat at the back of the courtroom on Monday and frequently typed on her phone as her lawyer Dauid Sibtain questioned the first witness, Holden.
The hearing was adjourned until Tuesday.
In the previous federal court case, MacInnes had alleged Wilson defamed her or breached her confidence in four social media posts from September 2024 to July 2025, by falsely suggesting she had withdrawn a sexual harassment complaint against Ghost to advance her career.
MacInnes denied ever making such a complaint, but a judge ruled that none of Wilson’s posts were defamatory.
