Entertainment
She's Being Sued for a Silly Reason
10 Things I Hate About You was one of those films that defined a generation. It was one of many Shakespearean adaptations, specifically of The Taming of the Shrew, set in high school as a romantic comedy. It was popular enough to spawn a thankfully short-lived television series, because what's the point of watching 10 Things I Hate About You if you can't see Heath Ledger with a perm? It's also one of the thousands of movies Joseph Gordon-Levitt appeared in back before his career really took off. Apparently, there was a sequel to the movie in the works that was going to involve Evan Rachel Wood. The producer of the film is suing Evan Rachel Wood for bailing on the 10 Things I Hate About You sequel, which basically just sounds like he's suing her for having common sense.
Okay, so his lawsuit is kind of understandable. Apparently, Wood collected a $300,000 retainer and then sashayed right on out. Wood's representative is telling a different version of events, which is that production shut down in 2013 due to a lack of funds and did not start up again despite repeated promises to the contrary. That and an inability to pay Wood the money she was owed actually led to her bailing on the movie. It's a classic he said-she said story, but the most important part is the fact that the producer still seems to think anyone wants to see a sequel to 10 Things I Hate About You.
Did we learn nothing from Mean Girls 2? When you catch lightning in a bottle, it's incredibly difficult to replicate it — especially when you're not using any of the original actresses. I know it's expected in media for every good thing to have a sequel to snatch up as much money from the fans as possible, but, come on, Hollywood. Have you learned nothing from Kat Stratford?
If Wood bailed on the project, it's because she had enough time during the delayed production to realize what a bad idea a sequel to 10 Things I Hate About You would be. Especially with a name like 10 Things I Hate About Life. As if the ten things of the title was in any way integral to the plot at all. So, really, if the producer wanted her to give the $300,000 retainer money back, then that would be understandable.
However, his lawsuit is for over $30 million dollars, which is an ambitious total. Not even Evan Rachel Wood could make a 10 Things sequel worth watching. After all, no one — absolutely no one — can realtalk like Kat Stratford.
