FOLK legend Bob Dylan is trying to halt the release of a new film, which he fears falsely implies he was responsible for the suicide of Andy Warhol muse Edie Sedgwick. The singer’s lawyers have written to the Factory Girl’s producers and scriptwriter demanding that all distribution and screenings are stopped until they have seen it. Sedgwick, played by Sienna Miller, 24, was Warhol’s brightest protege until she died of an overdose of barbiturates in 1971. She became acquainted with Dylan while living at Manhattan’s famous Chelsea Hotel. The musician’s lawyer wrote that the film’s original screenplay depicted an alleged relationship between the two, using Dylan’s name and suggested he dumped Sedgwick, leading to her "tragic decline into heroin addiction and eventual suicide". In the film itself, the character is called Billy Quinn and is said to be a composite of Dylan, Doors star Jim Morrison and Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger. But lawyer Orin Snyder says critics who have seen screenings say it is unmistakably Dylan, according to the New York Post. He wants the film to be shelved until legal teams have seen it to determine if they think Dylan, who has "deep concerns," has been defamed. "You appear to be labouring under the misunderstanding that merely changing the name of a character or making him a purported fictional composite will immunise you from suit," Mr Snyder wrote. "That is not so. Even though Mr Dylan’s name is not used, the portrayal remains both defamatory and a violation of Mr Dylan’s right of publicity." He added: "Until we are given an opportunity to view the film, we hereby demand that all distribution and screenings . . . immediately be ceased." The Weinstein Company, which is releasing the film in the US on December 29, confirmed the letter’s existence but had no comment.
The Advertiser
This movie just sounds bad. If I were the Weinstein Company, I would just release this movie straight-to-DVD and cut my losses.
