EXCLUSIVE: Rebel Wilson‘s directorial debut The Deb has been pushed back again, as the volcanic legal row between her and the film’s producers continues to create chaos.
The musical comedy, chronicling the lives of outback Aussie teens attending a debutante ball, was due to release today, January 15, in Australia. The Deb is now expected to debut on April 9, following a rethink in recent weeks, a rep for producer AI Film confirmed. Rialto Distribution is distributing locally.
Australia is the first territory in which a release has been set. The Deb does not yet have a distributor in the U.S., while Protagonist Pictures is handling world sales.
The updated release date comes as Wilson suffered a major legal setback this week, when an LA Superior Court judge tossed the majority of her claims against Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron, and Vince Holden.
The judge has granted Ghost permission to conduct discovery in relation to so-called “smear websites” that made incendiary allegations about the producer being the “Indian Ghislaine Maxwell.” Ghost believes that Wilson was behind the websites, something the Pitch Perfect star has denied in legal documents. Team Ghost has accused Wilson of perjury.
Legal proceedings are also playing out in Australia, where The Deb‘s lead actress Charlotte MacInnes is suing Wilson for defamation over allegations she was sexually harassed by Ghost. Furthermore, The Deb producers filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court of New South Wales, alleging Wilson interfered with attempts to secure distribution and breached her contract.
The row burst into the open in 2024 when The Deb was selected to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. In a video on Instagram at the time, Wilson accused The Deb’s producers of “inappropriate behaviour towards the lead actress” and of embezzling funds from the film’s budget.
Deadline published a deep-dive on the saga last month, including examining the sexual harassment allegations in detail.