NEED TO KNOW
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Kate Beckinsale starred in the Amazon thriller, Canary Black, in October 2024, which began production in 2022
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The actress alleges in a new complaint that the film’s producers exposed her to “dangerous and unsafe conditions”
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Beckinsale initially filed a complaint as Jane Doe in December 2024, before amending the complaint and going public with her name in May 2025
Kate Beckinsale is suing the Canary Black producers after allegedly being exposed to “dangerous and unsafe conditions,” according to a complaint obtained by PEOPLE.
The 51-year-old actress starred in the crime film in 2024, which was released on Oct. 3. Over seven months later, the actress is accusing the film’s production company, Anton Entertainment Media Services, Inc., and its employees, including producer John Zois, of negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and battery. Puck was the first to report the news.
Beckinsale initially filed against the producers in December 2024 as “Jane Doe.” However, she issued an amended complaint on Wednesday, May 21, including communications with the defendants and more details of her on-set injury.
Prime Video/Amazon MGM Studios
Kate Beckinsale in “Canary Black.”
Beckinsale first suffered a complex meniscus tear in her left knee while filming in December 2022. She then needed surgery, which subsequently paused the production for months.
Before she returned to set, she claims her orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Jason Snibbe, said she should not be asked to perform stunts that involved running, jumping, harness suspension, squatting or kicking, per the complaint. However, Dr. Snibbe’s requests were allegedly ignored.
Beckinsale’s complaint claims that she suffered further aggravation of the knee injury as her doctor’s orders were repeatedly ignored and she was allegedly coerced into performing “unsafe action sequences.”
In the newly amended complaint, Beckinsale allegedly suffered a “significant trauma” to her knee after she was exposed to “dangerous and unsafe conditions” on the Canary Black set.
“Ms. Beckinsale and her team repeatedly raised red flags regarding unsafe conditions on and off set to Defendants, including long, dangerous set days, often lasting fifteen hours, inadequate equipment and medical personnel to help manage the high physical workload and recover from the exertion off set, and failure to adequately inform Ms. Beckinsale of what stunts she was expected to perform until often the moment she had to perform it,” the complaint read.
The actress also alleges that although she raised her concerns repeatedly, the producers put her ” in harm’s way” after they “continued to recklessly and intentionally forge ahead with unsafe filming conditions, forgoing safety to maintain profit margins.”
Prime Video
Kate Beckinsale in “Canary Black”
Along with several reach-outs from Beckinsale’s team about their concerns with the set, her agent, Shani Rosenzweig, allegedly emailed Zois, saying, “No one is actually taking real action to put a plan in place to fix this situation so it never happens again… [Ms. Beckinsale] keeps showing up to set for her call time and everyone around her has been made aware it’s going to be a 15 hour [or more] day except for her.”
Rosenzweig then demanded immediate action to address the unsafe conditions. “If you’re trying to kill a person, you’re doing a great job,” she wrote to Zois, after asking him to explain his plans to remedy the situation. The complaint alleges Zois responded and agreed to shorten the actress’ “unsustainable” work days, saying, “I don’t know what else to say other than you’re right.”
Despite Zois’ response, Beckinsale’s attorneys alleged she still worked 15-hour days, was tasked to “perform dangerous action sequences, without pre-clearing or pre-training,” and the “set conditions continued to be dangerous.”
As a result of the alleged negligence and “conscious and reckless decisions, Ms. Beckinsale suffered further injury, including aggravation and exacerbation of her existing injuries, which was entirely avoidable,” per the complaint.
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PEOPLE reached out to Beckinsale and Zois’ representatives for further information on Wednesday.
Read the original article on People
