A month before it was scheduled to be released, Johnny Depp-starrer City of Lies has reportedly been held back by distributors. Directed by Brad Furman, the film examines the 1996-97 murder of rappers Notorious B.I.G and Tupac Shakur.
Distributor Global Road Entertainment told the media that the film will no longer be released on September 7, but did not give a new date. The company also did not give a reason for the decision, which comes a month after Depp was sued by a man who worked as a location manager for the film. In the July 6 suit, Greg Brooks alleged that he was punched twice by the 55-year-old actor on the set of City of Lies. Brooks also named Furman and the film’s producers in the suit, alleging that he was fired from the production after he refused to promise not to pursue legal action.
City of Lies is based on the book Labyrinth by Randall Sullivan and stars Depp as Los Angeles Police Department detective Russel Poole, who leads the investigations into two mysterious drive-by shootings that killed Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. The case remains unsolved.
Depp has also been in the news for other legal and financial troubles and allegations of domestic violence by ex-wife Amber Heard. He will next appear in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, which is slated to hit theatres in November. Directed by David Yates and written by JK Rowling, the film is set in the fictional magical universe popularised by Harry Potter books and films and is a sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016). The decision to cast Depp in the wake of domestic violence allegations generated much controversy and Rowing defended the move in December last year.