IATSE wants Green Book writer Nick Vallelonga to pay up. The entertainment union announced on Thursday evening that it is suing Vallelonga’s production company over hundreds of thousands of dollars in allegedly unpaid wages to crew members on That’s Amore!, his upcoming musical rom-com. According to a union press release, the film — starring John Travolta, Katherine Heigl, and Christopher Walken — had a projected budget of $34 million. IATSE claims that “under producer Nick Vallelonga’s so-called ‘leadership’, the production ran out of money†in October 2022. (The union says production ran from September to November of that year.) The lawsuit alleges that Vallelonga’s That’s Amore Movie, LLC owes dozens of union workers more than $570,000 in combined wages, plus an estimated $100,000 or more in benefit contributions.
IATSE says a settlement deal was reached through an arbitration process so that workers could eventually be compensated. However, That’s Amore Movie, LLC allegedly missed “nearly all†required payments. As a result, the union has joined seven of its film and TV production affiliates to take legal action in a New York district court. “This lawsuit underscores our commitment to vigorously protecting our members and ensuring that their rights are not trampled upon,†IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb said in a statement. “In this country, when you work, you get paid. Anything less is theft.†Representatives for Vallelonga did not immediately respond to Vulture’s request for comment.