IATSE has taken the rare step of suing the producers of “That’s Amore,” alleging that the production has failed to pay $570,000 in wages to 77 union workers.
“That’s Amore” is a romantic comedy starring John Travolta and Katherine Heigl, which is written and directed by Nick Vallelonga, who won two Oscars for “Green Book.” The producers announced last month that they were finally getting off the ground.
But according to the union, production actually began more than a year ago, in September 2022. However, the producers ran out of money and shut down the show in November 2022, leaving dozens of crew members without paychecks, the union alleges.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees brought a grievance, and ultimately reached a settlement in July, according to the lawsuit. Under the terms, the production was supposed to pay everyone in full by Oct. 17 — but has failed to do so, the suit alleges.
“The Producers continue to promote the film including but not limited to engaging in expensive marketing strategies and incurring costly expenses such as the recording of a soundtrack with full orchestra despite the non-payment of contractually owed wages and benefits,” the lawsuit alleges.
The union filed the lawsuit on Dec. 8 in federal court in New York. The production has yet to respond in court, and a spokesperson for the production did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In May, the producers announced they would take the project to Cannes for worldwide sales. The producers also went to the American Film Market in November.
“This lawsuit underscores our commitment to vigorously protecting our members and ensuring that their rights are not trampled upon,” said Matt Loeb, the international president of IATSE, in a statement. “In this country, when you work, you get paid. Anything less is theft. We will not stand idly by while companies like That’s Amore Movie, LLC attempt to undermine the fair and hard-won terms of our collective agreements. We will relentlessly pursue all avenues to ensure justice is served.”
