Michael Flatley has launched a High Court case in connection with funding for a spy film he made, starring himself, writes Helen Bruce.
Flatley and the production company behind the film Blackbird have initiated legal proceedings against Novellus Ltd and its founder William McManus, the nephew of racing mogul JP McManus.
The 2022 movie, which was directed and produced by Flatley, 66, saw him take on the lead role of “troubled secret agent” Victor Blackley.
The movie was reported to be largely funded by Flatley, and was poorly received by critics.
High Court records show that Flatley and Blackbird Film Productions, a British-registered company of which Flatley is a director, lodged a plenary summons against Novellus Limited, which has a registered office in Bromley, England, and a subsidiary in Dublin.
A plenary summons is a legal document used to start proceedings in cases where there is a dispute between two sides, and where oral evidence will need to be heard by a judge.
The records show Flatley will be represented by Maxwell Mooney, the same law firm he used in his ongoing High Court action related to the multimillion-euro renovation of his Castlehyde mansion in Co. Cork.
No legal firm has yet been appointed by the defendants, and there are not yet any dates for hearings in the case.
Company filings show that Novellus Finance Ltd, of St Stephen’s Green, Dublin, registered a charge against Blackbird Film Productions on September 27, 2023.
That indicates that Novellus lent money to Blackbird Film Productions at an earlier date, and is seeking to have the money repaid if the company is sold or wound up.
The records show that, as of yesterday, that charge is still outstanding.
The most recent accounts for Blackbird Film Productions were published before that charge was registered.
Those accounts show the company had bank loans of £2.7m (€3.26m) for the year to the end of August 2023.
Company filings also show that efforts have been made to strike Blackbird Film Productions off the Register of Companies in the UK but reasons have been submitted and accepted on October 20 this year as to why that should not be done.
William McManus, known as Billy, co-founded Novellus in Ireland in 2021, lending to projects and property in this country, although Novellus Capital was founded by him in the UK in 2013, lending to Irish operations in the UK, and he was appointed a director of Novellus Ltd in 2017.
Photo: Michael Flatley in Blackbird
