Fans sue over the movie 'Yesterday' after they realize Ana de Armas didn't make the final cut
Two film viewers have a surprising bone to pick with the 2019 Danny Boyle movie Yesterday — and now, they’re taking to court.
According to Deadline, Conor Woulfe and Peter Michael Rosza both chose to rent the film — which imagines a world in which a musician named Jack, played by Himesh Patel, is the only one aware of existence of The Beatles — due, in part, to a trailer that featured Knives Out star Ana de Armas.
While de Armas is in the film’s trailer in a scene featuring Patel’s character on The Late Late Show with James Corden, she was ultimately cut from the movie. The film’s screenwriter, Richard Curtis, told Deadline it was due to test audiences not liking that her character was an alternate love interest for Jack, who they wanted to end up with Lily James’ character, Ellie.
Per the lawsuit against the film's distributor Universal, Woulfe and Rosza argued that the film’s advertising was “false, misleading, and deceptive” due to de Armas not appearing in the final cut. They also claimed that Patel and co-star James were not big enough stars to attract audiences — hence the movie’s reliance on using de Armas and her “fame, radiance and brilliance” in their advertising.
Patel, who starred in the British series EastEnders, has since gone on to appear in the film Don’t Look Up and the HBO Max series Station 11, while James was arguably already a big star at the time of the film’s release: She portrayed the titular princess in Disney’s Cinderella as well as starred in Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again and Baby Driver.
The suit seeks damages for the two men, as well as an injunction on using de Armas’ appearance in the footage to advertise the movie.
While this lawsuit may seem unusual, it’s not the only time a major movie has used footage for a trailer that was ultimately left on the cutting room floor. Winona Ryder, for example, appeared in trailer scenes for the 2009 Star Trek that never made the movie. (While she did appear in the film, her role was significantly reduced.)
As for de Armas, these two fans will have a chance to see her onscreen soon enough. The Blade Runner 2049 actress will next star in the psychological thriller Deep Water, opposite Ben Affleck and Jacob Elordi, and the upcoming Blonde, in which she will play a fictionalized version of Marilyn Monroe.
