Facebook Twitter Instagram
    • Services
    • Aircheck for Actors
    • Demo Reels
    • Audition Prep/Self-Tape Reader
    • Mailing Labels
    • Contribute
    • Industry Links
    • Advertise
    Daily Actor
    Daily Actor YouTube Page Daily Actor FacebookDaily Actor Twitter Daily Actor Instagram Daily Actor Pinterest
    • Acting Tips
      • Actors on Acting
      • Advice Columns
      • Acting Quotes
      • Audition Tapes
      • How To Become An Actor
      • How to Memorize Lines
    • Monologues
      • Monologues from Plays
      • Monologues from Movies
      • Monologues from Musicals
      • Comedic Monologues
      • Dramatic Monologues
      • One Minute Monologues
      • Monologues for Women
      • Monologues for Men
      • Monologues for Teens
      • Monologues for Kids
      • All Monologues
    • Acting Resources
      • Acting Resume
        • Acting Resume Templates
      • Acting Classes
        • Los Angeles Acting Classes
        • Las Vegas Acting Classes
        • San Diego Acting Classes
      • Acting Schools and Colleges
        • Los Angeles
        • New York
        • BFA Acting Schools
      • Casting Websites
      • Headshot Photographers
        • Los Angeles
        • New York City
        • Headshot Printing
      • Acting Techniques
        • What is Method Acting?
      • Stage Directions
      • Demo Reels: Everything You Need to Know
    • Interviews
      Featured

      Interview: Donna Benedicto: “Not every character needs to fit into a box”

      Recent

      Interview: Donna Benedicto: “Not every character needs to fit into a box”

      May 1, 2023
      Jesmille-Darbouze-A-Dolls-House-Broadway-Interview

      Interview: Jesmille Darbouze on Her Role in ‘A Doll’s House’ on Broadway, Working Without Props and Why She Almost Stopped Acting

      April 27, 2023

      Interview: Lilah Fitzgerald Talks “Dream Come True” Roles in ‘Monster High’ and ‘Lucky Hank’

      April 13, 2023
    • Actor Blogs
    • Reviews
      • Movies
      • Theater
      • Books
      • Products
    • Actor Services
      • Airchecks
      • Demo Reels
      • Website Design
      • Mailing Labels
    Daily Actor
    Home » Film » Oregon Man Sues Lionsgate for Allegedly Using His Image to Depict a Terrorist in ‘The Next Three Days’
    Film

    Oregon Man Sues Lionsgate for Allegedly Using His Image to Depict a Terrorist in ‘The Next Three Days’

    Chris McKittrickBy Chris McKittrickNovember 10, 2011Updated:September 16, 20182 Comments3 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

    A picture might be worth a thousand words, but what about $300,000?

    At first this lawsuit sounds frivolous: a man is suing Lionsgate over the 2010 Russell Crowe film The Next Three Days because his image briefly appears in the film without his permission.  But then when you find out that his picture was allegedly included on a computer screen with “Most Wanted Fugitive” figures like Osama Bin Laden, Bilal Ahmed‘s claims of “appropriation of name or likeness and publicity that places him in a false light” for being “depicted as a wanted fugitive along with other known or alleged terrorists or fugitives, including Osama Bin Laden”, well, it starts to make a bit more sense.

    You can (briefly) see what he means in the trailer below, where, at approximately the 2:06 mark, a computer screen with the Most Wanted list is shown.  While it’s too quickly cut into the trailer, the plaintiff alleges his image appears four times on the computer screen “1 hour 54 minutes and 52 seconds to 1 hour 56 minutes and 25 seconds into the Movie”.

    Now, not knowing Mr. Ahmed I can’t possibly pick which image is of him or even if the image actually is him and not a terrorist look alike. 

    Doing some research into the matter I discovered that while there is a Portland-area terrorist named Ahmed Bilal, the former fugitive is currently serving time in prison for conspiracy to aid terrorism. Bilal Ahmed, however, is apparently a different man with a similar name and, if it actually is his image used by mistake, has a very good chance of winning the lawsuit.  I know The Wrap article teases Ahmed about the lawsuit — particularly with its multiple comments about Ahmed being forced to change his hairstyle — but if his image was used without his position in the film I can understand his anger at the very least.  After all, would you want to suffer the consequences of being depicted as a terrorist in a movie?

    As compensation for “impairment to future earning capacity, damage to his reputation, mental anguish and suffering, humiliation, and embarrassment,” Ahmed is suing for $250,000 in damages and an extra $51,000 (an estimated .01 percent of the film’s gross), plus attorney costs. So perhaps he does have a case.  Then again, if the picture isn’t even of the plaintiff this actually is a frivolous lawsuit and I take back all my sympathy.    

    Check out a brief glimpse of the scene in question below (around the 2:06 mark) in the trailer:

    Related

    Previous ArticleAnd the Winner for Worst Trailer is ‘A Thousand Words’ starring Eddie Murphy, Clark Duke
    Next Article Q & A: Stephen Root on Working with His Wife, Choosing Roles and How Shakespeare Training Helped When He Played a Klingon

    Related Posts

    David Harbour Black Widow

    David Harbour on Building a Character, Finding Contradictions and Mastering an Accent

    September 3, 2021
    Nicolas Cage in Pig

    Nicolas Cage on Using a “More Quiet and Measured Performance Style” in ‘Pig’

    August 17, 2021
    Aubrey Plaza in Black Bear

    Aubrey Plaza on Auditioning and Why UCB Was the “Best Time” of Her Life

    August 12, 2021
    View 2 Comments

    2 Comments

    1. Ernest Cavazos via Facebook on November 10, 2011 3:39 pm

      Wth.. people suck

    2. Daily Actor via Facebook on November 10, 2011 4:02 pm

      Ridiculous. I hope they sue him right back for the money this is costing them.

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Popular Pages
    Become An Actor | Acting Tips | Acting Quotes
    Acting Resume | Resume Template
    Headshot Photographers
    Los Angeles | New York
    Print Your Headshots
    Acting Schools & Colleges
    Los Angeles | New York
    Monologues
    Movies | Plays | Comedic | Dramatic
    Men | Women | Teens | Kids
    • Contact
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Resource Listings
    • Write A Column
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy

    Disclaimer: Daily Actor at times uses affiliate links to sites like Amazon.com, streaming services, and others. Affiliate links provides compensation to Daily Actor which helps us remain online, giving you the resources and information actors like you are looking for.

    © 2023 Daily Actor

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.