Fans of actress Ana De Armas, 34, are suing Universal Studios in a $5million lawsuit for false representation after they cut her role from 2019 film Yesterday but kept her in the trailer
- Ana de Armas appeared for 15 seconds in the Yesterday trailer but not in the film
- Conor Woulfe and Peter Rosza accuse Universal Studios of false representation
- A federal judge ruled movie studios can be sued if their trailers are deceptive
Two Ana De Armas fans are suing Universal Studios for $5million after accusing it of ‘false representation’ because the star’s role was cut from the 2019 film Yesterday but footage of her was kept in its trailer.
In a new ruling, US federal judge Stephen Wilson says that movie studios can be sued for false advertising if their trailers are deceptive.
Conor Woulfe and Peter Michael Rosza accuse Universal Studios of false representation and fraud after they paid $3.99 to rent Yesterday on Amazon Prime in January to see her after the James Bond star appeared in the film’s trailer.
The Cuban-Spanish actress, 34, appears for 15 seconds in the 210-second trailer, but did not make the final cut of the movie.
Fans of Ana De Armas can sue Universal Studios in a $5million lawsuit for ‘false representation’ after they cut her role from the 2019 film Yesterday but kept her in its trailer (pictured)
The Cuban-Spanish actress, 34, appears for 15 seconds in the 3.5 minute trailer but did not make the final cut of the movie. Pictured on November 19
Judge Wilson ruled that movie trailers come under commercial speech and are subject to the California False Advertising Law and the state’s Unfair Competition Law, reported Variety.
Wilson wrote: ‘Universal is correct that trailers involve some creativity and editorial discretion, but this creativity does not outweigh the commercial nature of a trailer.
‘At its core, a trailer is an advertisement designed to sell a movie by providing consumers with a preview of the movie.’
Universal had claimed trailers are entitled to broad protection under the First Amendment and that a trailer conveys the ‘broad theme’ of a movie as non-commercial speech.
The movie studio added that the ruling could be burdensome and lead to any number of lawsuits from disappointed fans.
Universal said other films, such as Jurassic Park also featured footage not shown in the final cut of the movie.
De Armas, who has 6.8 Instagram followers and also featured in James Bond: No Time to Die, was due to play love interest Roxane
But director Richard Curtis cut her role from the final movie, saying fans would be upset that her character would take away from Malik’s primary love interest Ellie, played by Lily James. L to R: Himesh Patel, Lily James and director Danny Boyle at the premiere of ‘Yesterday’ in June 2019
Yesterday, a 2019 film, stars protagonist Jack Malik, played by Himesh Patel, a musician who realises everyone else has forgotten the existence of The Beatles
Yesterday, a 2019 film, stars protagonist Jack Malik, played by Himesh Patel, a musician who realises everyone else has forgotten the existence of The Beatles.
He shoots to fame after he reintroduces their songs to the world.
De Armas, who has 6.8 Instagram followers and also featured in James Bond and Marylin Monroe movie Blonde, was due to play his initial love interest Roxane and would be seranded by Malik singing The Beatles song ‘Something’.
But director Richard Curtis cut her role from the final movie, saying fans would be upset that her character would take away from Malik’s primary love interest Ellie, played by Lily James.
Woulfe and Rosza claim the $5million lawsuit is equal to the number of fans who will have been disappointed by de Armas not making the final edit.
Judge Wilson said the ruling is limited to whether an actor or scene would be in the movie and ‘nothing else’.
Curtis told CinemaBlend: ‘That was a very traumatic cut because she was brilliant in it.
‘You know, it’s one of those things where it’s some of our favourite scenes from the film, but we had to cut them for the sake of the whole.’
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