Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino will file a lawsuit against Gawker after a leaked script for his next movie was posted on the site's Defamer vertical, according to a report.
The script for The Hateful Eight was posted online Thursday, spurring Tarantino to file a suit seeking $1 million in damages, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Gawker confirmed the legal action in a post early Monday evening.
"Gawker and Defamer are news sites, and our publication of the link was clearly connected to our goal of informing readers about things they care about," Gawker editor John Cook wrote in the post. "As far as I can tell (but I'm no lawyer!), no claim of contributory infringement has prevailed in the U.S. over a news story. We'll be fighting this one."
The controversy started after Tarantino sent the script to six people, including Django Unchained producer Reggie Hudlin as well as actors Tim Roth, Bruce Dern, and Michael Madsen, according to Deadline. It did not take long for word to get out, with the director receiving calls from interested actors and their representatives.
That led to Tarantino making public comments about his disappointment about the leak, and telling Deadline that he would not make the movie.
Tarantino joins the likes of Dr. Phil, Hulk Hogan, publisher HarperCollins and Lena Dunham to have sued Gawker. The site has been a magnet for controversy due to its willingness to post or link to copyrighted or private material.
Gawker directed media inquiries to Cook's post. A representative for Tarantino did not immediately respond.
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