Renowned filmmaker Martin Scorsese was accused of taking money from a screenwriter and then doing nothing. The screenwriter then also filed a case against Scorsese, however, the lawsuit has finally been settled.
An aspiring screenwriter named Simon Afram wrote a screenplay titled Operation: Fortitude’. The script was about the Allied effort to deceive the German army as to the whereabouts of the Normandy invasion. He, along with producer Edward Kahl, hired Scorsese in January 2022 to serve as an executive producer. They hired Scorsese, considering his fame in the industry. They hoped that Scorsese’s name attached to a project would help attract an A-list cast and director. Moreover, the production was about to commence in Europe later that year.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned, as Scorsese didn’t revert after taking a huge amount from them.
Why was Martin Scorsese accused by the screenwriter?
The screenwriter, Simon Afram, accused Martin Scorsese of taking $500,000 from him under the pretext of assisting him in the development of a World War II movie, only to disappear without making any progress on the project. Afram planned many things regarding the project. But since Scorsese didn’t revert after taking his money, he filed a complaint against him. According to the suit, they repeatedly sought to talk directly with Scorsese. However, his managers always said that he was too busy with other things.
The lawsuit alleges that “Defendants never made Mr. Scorsese available for a single phone call, meeting, or other interaction.”
Since the Killers of the Flower Moon director didn’t respond despite their several requests, they came to the conclusion that Scorsese just wasn’t interested. Hence, they asked for their money back but didn’t get it. However, Scorsese’s attorney defended Scorsese, noting in a cross-complaint that Afram had almost no experience in the industry. They claimed that the screenwriter had only two unproduced scripts to his name and had spent years fruitlessly trying to develop Operation: Fortitude. They argued that due to his inexperience, he just isn’t familiar with what it takes to develop a film.
Scorsese’s attorneys, led by Marty Singer, wrote, “This case presents the classic example of the novice filmmaker who refuses to appreciate the stark difference between expectation and reality in the filmmaking business, to the detriment of all involved.”
It was alleged by Scorsese’s lawyers that he had personally identified several accomplished directors who might be good for the project and reached out to them through his representatives. However, no one showed interest in Afram’s script.
As per Scorsese’s cross-complaint, the accuser did not consider the normalcy of this situation. Reflecting on the toil of making the 2019 crime drama film The Irishman,
Scorsese’s lawyers noted that the film took 12 years to develop and produce. They wrote, “The expectation of those new to the film industry is that a great idea or script will instantly be transformed into an Academy Award-winning work of art when the reality is that it can take many years to even attempt to develop a movie.”
Scorsese’s attorney had their own claims against the screenwriter. They argued that, in fact, Afram owed him $500,000—the second installment guaranteed by the contract—and not vice versa.
The lawsuit was filed in May 2023. At that time, the accusers alleged that their involvement with Scorsese had cost them $500,000 and 15 wasted months. The lawsuit stated, “‘Op-Fortitude’ has still not completed assembling its cast and crew and has not been able to begin the production process in earnest. ‘Op-Fortitude’ has instead been forced to essentially begin from scratch.”
After almost a year of legal dispute, the plaintiffs submitted a notice on Thursday stating that the case had been settled.
