MGM’s procrastination in the release of Johnny Depp’s new film called “Minamata” has provoked protests from the director of this film. According to The Independent, Minamata director Andrew Levitas has sent a letter to Metro Goldwyn Meyer (MGM) accusing the studio of destroying and burying his film.
He attributed this to Johnny Depp’s role and his recent personal problems. The film was purchased by Metro Goldwyn Meyer after its first release at the 2020 Berlin Film Festival.
The company has told Deadline that it has no plans to destroy the film and is just waiting for the right time to release it. The film was supposed to be released in February 2021, but it did not happen. The filmmaker claims in his statement that he tried to change the company’s mind, but he was rejected.
Johnny Depp plays a news photographer named Eugene Smith. A person who became famous for his carelessness and non-observance of the standards of the photography profession and for displaying vivid images of the violence of World War II.
These issues can be related to the defeat of Johnny Depp in the lawsuit against the English magazine “Sun”. After losing the case, he left the Vaner Brothers’s “Wonderful Beasts” movie series to be replaced by Mads Mickelson.
“Minamata” is Levitas’ second directing experience since the 2013 film Lullaby, starring Amy Adams and Jennifer Hudson.