Steve Coogan and his production companies Baby Cow Productions and Pass Productions have settled a libel suit brought by academic Richard Taylor over Stephen Frears’ 2022 feature film. lost kingwhich Coogan co-wrote, produced, and starred in.
In a ruling handed down by Britain’s High Court on Monday, October 27, Taylor has won his case against the filmmakers.
He has been awarded damages, his defamatory comments will not be repeated and an explanatory message will be added at the beginning of the film, BBC News reports.
The only change to the film, the caption reads: “Although this film features the character Richard Taylor, an employee of the University of Leicester, his portrayal is fictional and does not represent the actions of the real Mr Taylor, who was employed by the University of Leicester as a Deputy Registrar and acted with integrity during the events depicted.”
A card with this description appears at the beginning of the film, after an existing title card that reads “Based on a True Story.” Her Story” – referring to the main character Philippa Langley lost king And whose book is the story based on?
“As part of the agreement, no material editorial changes will be made to the film other than those explained on-screen at the beginning of the film,” Coogan, Baby Cow and Pathé said in a statement.
“I’m really pleased that this film has finally proven to be a defamatory portrayal of me, an unsubstantiated portrayal of me and a distortion of the search for Richard III,” Taylor told the BBC outside London’s Royal Courts of Justice.
“And I won’t let that diminish what was a great teamwork, a collaborative experience in which university academics and amateurs came together to search for Richard III. But it’s great that we were able to prove this in court.” lost king This is a misleading, defamatory and untrue depiction of what happened in Leicester in 2012. ”
The film tells the story of the 2012 search for the remains of British monarch Richard III under a Leicester municipal car park.
Taylor filed a High Court lawsuit claiming the film made her look “misogynistic” and “weasel-like”. The case was scheduled to proceed to trial until the claims between all parties were settled.
In June, Judge Jaron Lewis ruled that the film depicted Taylor as “deliberately misrepresenting the facts to the media and the public” about the discovery, was “self-righteous, unduly dismissive and patronizing” and could constitute defamation.
Putty, Baby Cow and Coogan’s reaction
A joint statement from Pathe Productions, Baby Cow Productions and Coogan reads:
“We are extremely proud of this film and are pleased that this matter has been resolved.”
Daniel Jennings, defamation partner at law firm Shakespeare Martineau, which represented Taylor, described the settlement as a “David and Goliath defamation moment.”
“Individuals often feel unable to speak out against large corporations and celebrities, but this victory shows there are remedies available when fraud occurs,” Jennings said.
“We live in an era of documentaries, podcasts, and hyper-public investigative journalism, where film and television productions are increasingly labeled as ‘true accounts’ in order to capture audience attention and generate media buzz around new releases. Mr. Taylor’s victory should serve as a real warning to those seeking to use these tactics.”
lost king It was released in the UK and Ireland in October 2022 through Warner Bros. for £350,258, grossing a total of £1.6 million. The film is based on the book by Philippa Langley and Michael Jones. The King’s Tomb: The Search for Richard IIIadapted by Coogan and Geoff Pope. Produced by Coogan, Christine Langan and Dan Winch. It starred Sally Hawkins and Harry Lloyd alongside Coogan.
