'Argo' Facing Possible Lawsuit From Iranian Government
The producers of "Argo" may be facing a lawsuit from Iran in the future.
The Associated Press, citing several news outlets in Iran, reported Tuesday that French lawyer Isabelle Coutant-Peyre is discussing with Iranian government officials how and where to file a lawsuit accusing the Warner Bros. film of being an "unrealistic portrayal" of Iran.
Also read: 'Argo' Wins Best Picture Oscar
Directed by Ben Affleck (left, center), who also stars as real-life CIA operative Tony Mendez, "Argo" follows the Hollywood-inspired covert mission to extract six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran, during the 1979 hostage crisis.
While the drama -- produced by Affleck, George Clooney and Grant Heslov -- received critical acclaim in the United States, leading to an Academy Award for Best Picture in February, Iran's state television blasted it as an "advertisement for the CIA."
Also read: Iran State TV Blasts 'Argo' Oscar Win
The decision to pursue a lawsuit comes after Iranian cultural officials and movie critics gathered for a private screening of film on Monday. Those in attendance discussing "The Hoax of Hollywood" reportedly determined "Argo" to be a "a propaganda attack against" Iran and "entire humanity."
According to a translation, Coutant-Peyre told the Mehr news agency that she's planning to launch a campaign exposing the film's lies in hopes of blocking distribution.
"We will be able to block distributors of the movie, force them to apologize and challenge them to confess that the movie is nothing but a sheer lie," the lawyer said.
Despite Iran's harsh reaction to the Oscar winner, it's still not clear what specific charges the government could file.
A spokesman for Warner Bros. told TheWrap the studio has "no comment" on the issue.
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