Steve Cooganhis production company Baby Cow and Pathé Productions have settled a defamation lawsuit regarding their 2022 film.”The Lost King” and a university employee who sued over his portrayal in the film was awarded “substantial damages.”
The film, written by Coogan and starring him and Sally Hawkins, tells the story of how the remains of British monarch King Richard III were discovered in Leicester in 2012. Richard Taylor, then deputy registrar at the University of Leicester, played by Lee Ingleby in the film, filed a lawsuit last year over what his lawyer claimed was a depiction of an “arrogant villain”.
On Monday BBC reported that Taylor was successful in his claim and the film would be changed without repeating the defamatory comments. Taylor claimed that the character based on him was “dismissive, patronizing and misogynistic” towards historian Philippa Langley, played by Hawkins.
In June, Judge Jaron Lewis ruled that the film portrayed Taylor as “deliberately misrepresenting the facts to the media and the public” about the discovery of Richard III's remains and acting in a “complacent, unjustifiably dismissive and patronizing manner” that could amount to libel. The case was going to trial, but it has now been settled.
“I'm delighted that we've finally established that the film is a defamatory portrayal of me – baseless in its portrayal and a misrepresentation of the quest for Richard III,” Taylor said in an interview with the BBC on Monday. “And I don't let that take away from the fantastic teamwork, collaborative experience that brought university scientists and amateurs together to find Richard III.”
In response to the settlement, Coogan, Baby Cow and Pathé said in a joint statement to the BBC: “As a distributor and producer recognized for bringing complex, real-life stories to audiences, we are deeply aware of the responsibility associated with such portrayals and approach each project with care, integrity and a commitment to authenticity. We remain incredibly proud this film and are glad that this issue has now been resolved.”
Pathé previously defended the film, tell Diversity in March 2024, The Lost King was a “fiction film, not a documentary” and “is not a literal depiction of the exact words.”
“Pathé has a long, respected and successful history of financing and distributing dramatic films based on real people, events and stories (including The Queen, The Iron Lady, Philomena, Selma, Pride, Judy and The Great Fugitive) and we stand by our decision to fund The Lost King to give Philippa Langley a voice and bring her story to life on screen,” the company said at the time. “We will respect the judge's decision and are confident that the film does not convey the message that Richard Taylor claims. It was never Pathe's intention to misrepresent anyone, and we believe that we will be able to defend the film and Pathe's position.”
