Boxing Helena with Kim Basinger

 

Boxing Helena is a film written and directed by Jennifer Lynch about a doctor wo becomes infatuated with a woman and after he is in an accident amputates her arms and legs so he can keep her with him. This post is not so much about the bizarre movie as it is about unusual lawsuit that came from it. In 1991 Kim Basinger read the script and was intrigued enough to want set up a meeting with Lynch. After talking to the screenwriter Basinger agreed to be in the film. Now that a big name was attached preproduction was started. After her agent and other people she admired in the business told her it would be a mistake, Basinger backed out. That was when Main Line Pictures, the producers, sued her for breach of contract. Even though it was a verbal contract they contended that when she pulled out before shooting they lost nearly $6.4 million in potential domestic and foreign sales. 

Basinger lost the case, had to file for bankruptcy and the film was made with Sherilyn Fenn and Julian Sands. It did not do well with audiences or critics. In the end the producers made more money from the lawsuit than the box office