Producer Sues 'John Wick' Studio Over Donnie Yen, Michelle Yeoh Double Cross

Producer Arthur Sarkissian has filed a lawsuit against Thunder Road Films and its founder Basil Iwanyk, accusing them of poaching the stars of his project and cutting him out of the deal. According to the plaintiff, the company known for the 'John Wick' franchise used his work and connections, then dropped him from the transaction.

In the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles, Sarkissian claims he partnered with Thunder Road on 'The Father' and invested his own money in rewriting the script for Donnie Yen. However, when the project was ready to go, the company allegedly offered the actor a better deal for 'John Wick: Chapter 4,' which put his film on hold.

Later, the project supposedly revived under the title 'The Mother' with Michelle Yeoh attached. Sarkissian asserts that international presales reached $18 million, and he was promised a producer fee of $850,000. He even brought in a director of his choosing.

But then Michelle Yeoh decided she didn't want to play a mother of two, and the role went to Jennifer Lopez. According to Sarkissian, Thunder Road assured him they were working to save the film while secretly shopping around Hollywood for a replacement script.

The search eventually led to 'The Surgeon,' another action film with Yeoh, but this time Sarkissian says his promised payday was nowhere to be found. He believes he was used to get the project off the ground and then discarded.

Sarkissian is suing Thunder Road and Iwanyk for breach of contract, failure to pay, and broken promises. He is seeking at least $850,000, plus development costs, lost profits, and punitive damages. Thunder Road has not yet commented on the matter.

This lawsuit sheds light on the darker side of Hollywood filmmaking, where relationships between producers and studios often rely on verbal agreements and personal connections. For Donnie Yen and Michelle Yeoh, this story may serve as an unpleasant reminder of how their involvement in projects can be used in others' disputes.