Canal + is showing City of Lies this evening at 9 p.m. City of Lies, a crime drama that sees Johnny Depp investigating the Tupac and Notorious Big murders. A private cinema release film following a legal case between the actor and one of the team members.
What is it about ?
The plot will follow Russell Poole, famous for trying to unravel the mystery of the deaths of two rap stars 2Pac and Notorious BIG
Yet another “cursed film”
After Minamata, Canal + got its hands on another Johnny Depp film in its Premiere category. Produced in 2017 and presented out of competition at the American Festival of Deauville last September (discover our review here), City of Lies never reached theaters although that was its goal. And this time again, it is linked to a legal case which still opposes the actor to one of the members of the team, 4 years after the facts.
August 2018, City of Lies disappears from the release line-up of Global Road Entertainment a month before its release. It must be said that a few weeks earlier, a member of the film crew lodged a complaint against Johnny Depp (and several members of the production), accusing him of having hit him twice, while being under the influence alcohol.
The scene is said to have taken place in April 2017, while Depp was filming a scene outside. Gregg Brooks – general manager – would have been responsible for stopping production since the team had exceeded the filming schedules negotiated with the city.
A decision that would not have pleased the actor – if we are to believe the complaint relayed here by Variety – and who would have come to blows. Three days later, Brooks is kindly thanked by the production for not having “signed a confidentiality agreement on the accident”.
Two versions of the same story
Johnny Depp did not hesitate to counterattack based on the testimonies of other members of the team that day. Several of them have indeed declared that the two men had indeed had a confrontation but that Johnny Depp never hit Brooks. The actor was able to count on the support of the scriptwriter Emma Danoff, who gave a very different version to the police :
According to her, Brooks allegedly attacked an African-American homeless man who stood too close to the filming location and made racist remarks. What would not have more to the star of the film who would have intervened. Emma Danoff has not hesitated to share dated photos to prove the facts … At present, justice has still not ruled on the case, which has been postponed to February 2022.
But in the meantime, it’s another exciting investigation that awaits you, in City of Lies tonight on Canal +.