The release of Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut, The Deb, is under threat due to an ongoing dispute between the Australian actor-director and the film’s producers. Taking to Instagram last night, Wilson shared allegations about three of the film’s producers – Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden – with her 11 million followers.
In the video, Wilson accuses the trio of blocking the film’s release, which was set to debut on the closing night of the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival.
Wilson alleges that the producers’ actions are in retaliation for a dispute that “dates back to October of last year, where I discovered bad behaviour by these business partners”. Wilson accused producers of acting inappropriately towards the film’s lead actress and embezzling funds.
“Since I reported that behaviour, I have been met with absolute viciousness and retaliatory behaviour,” says Wilson. “So, I’m there on set, I’m trying to film my movie with my gorgeous Australian cast and crew … and yet every step of the way, these people who I complained about then tried to make my life hell.
“In the meantime, though, I still finished the movie … [now] they’re saying, you know, it can’t come out. They might not release it; they might bury it. This is work of hundreds of people who have put their heart and soul into this … so that’s my dilemma. If the movie doesn’t play at Toronto, it’s because of these absolute fuckwits.”
Representatives for the producers refuted her claims in a statement to Deadline, calling them “false, defamatory and disappointing” as well as “self-promotional”. They referred to the film as “a joyous movie that we’re very proud of and are looking forward to sharing with audiences. For her to promote a false narrative to advance her own agenda undermines the film and all the people who worked on this project.”
The Deb is an Australian musical comedy that tells the story of two girls from a country town attending a debutante ball. The film was shot in Sydney and regional NSW last year. The film is based on a musical of the same name by Hannah Reilly and Megan Washington. The play caught Wilson’s eye when it ran at the Australian Theatre for Young People in 2022. A theatre there, The Rebel Theatre, is named after Wilson, an ATYP alum who has contributed $1 million to the company.
