Evan Rachel Wood sued for $30 million for leaving 10 Things I Hate About You sequel

Producers of that ill-fated 10 Things I Hate About You sequel are suing onetime star Evan Rachel Wood for $30 million, claiming breach of contract. According to a 10-page complaint filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court, producers say Wood was paid $300,000 to star in the movie before she “seemingly changed her mind about desiring to complete the film during principal photography”—possibly because she realized that making a 10 Things sequel is a dumb idea. Wood then supposedly left the project without providing any “legal justification” for her exit, something its production company, 10 Things LLC, says caused “significant and extensive damages and financial harm.” That includes an alleged $6 million in equity investments and costs, $500,000 in financing costs, $20 million in lost movie profits, and “additional general and special damages in the amount of $500,000,000” (a figure that definitely seems pretty high).

Wood’s representatives say the suit is “preposterous,” arguing that production on the movie ground to a halt last February when 10 Things LLC ran out of money. Even so, Wood “agreed to resume production in Nov. 2013, by which time the producers said they would have cleared up their issues.” Production didn’t resume, of course, and Wood eventually decided to bail. Might we suggest this whole thing be solved by a friendly, sexually charged paint-filled balloon battle?