Lena Headey is being sued for $1.5 million by her former U.K. agency Troika over unpaid commission fees for Thor: Love and Thunder, a Marvel film the actor isn't even appearing in anymore.
According to Variety, Troika, which rebranded as YMU in 2020, claims the actor owes the agency at least $500 thousand, equivalent to 7% of her fee, for her earnings on the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film. Headey, who gained international recognition and acclaim for her portrayal of Cersei Lannister on Game of Thrones, does not appear in the final cut of Thor: Love and Thunder, which opens in theaters on July 8. Headey has disputed that Troika has any claim to a commission on the Thor sequel and stated that her cut role in the film came about after the film's director Taika Waititi approached her directly.
Headey reportedly joined Troika in 2005 after following her personal representative, Michael Duff, there from his previous agency Lou Carl Associates. The actor left Troika/YMU in May 2020. The agency is seeking an account of commission fees owed, an order for Headey to pay the fees, damages for breach of contract, interest and reimbursement of legal fees. Headey claims that she never signed any contract with Troika or with Duff, and that both parties were acting on an oral agreement. She also pointed out that Troika was never her sole agent. CAA represents the actor in the United States.
It is unknown at this time who Headey would have played in Thor: Love and Thunder. The confirmation of her casting and cut role comes on the heel of Christian Bale, who plays Gorr the God Butcher in the upcoming MCU sequel, revealing that Jeff Goldblum and Peter Dinklage were also cut from Love and Thunder. "I got to work with Peter Dinklage, that's not in the final film," the actor said. "I got to work with him and he's fantastic. I got to work with Jeff Goldblum, he's not in the final film either. As you see, lots of stuff ends up on the cutting room floor, even though it is beautiful, brilliant stuff." Dinklage and Goldblum would have reprised their roles as Eitri and the Grandmaster from Avengers: Infinity War and Thor: Ragnarok, respectively, in the film.
Set after the climactic events of Avengers: Endgame, the fourth Thor film finds Hemsworth's titular God of Thunder embarking on a journey of self-discovery. Having grown disillusioned with his role as a superhero, Thor sets off on a quest to discover who he really is, ultimately coming face-to-face with Gorr the God Butcher, who seeks to eliminate all gods from the universe.
Thor: Love and Thunder features an ensemble cast that includes Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, Russell Crowe, Chris Pratt, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel. Tickets for Love and Thunder are now available to pre-order ahead of the film's theatrical release on July 8.
Source: Variety