Earlier this year, Blatt, who worked closely with filmmakers Perry Grebin and Michael Nigro, heard reports that his depiction in the documentary was far from favorable.
According to Blatt’s attorney, Rachel Kugel, the parties tried to work things out, but the major sticking point was that Blatt had not been given a copy of the film to review.
Kugel told XBIZ that her firm sent a cease and desist letter to the filmmakers threatening legal action unless the scenes were removed or the film was dropped from the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival screening schedule
“One of the big problems here is that we haven’t seen the film,” Kugel said. “Kevin may love it, we don’t know. But until the film is in his hands, we need to put the other parties on notice that we have legal concerns about how it depicts him. Since we sent the letter, they have offered to give Kevin a copy.”
According to Denis Jensen, a producer at Acme Pictures, which owns the film, Blatt is free to watch the film.
“Basically, we feel this is unfounded,” Jensen told XBIZ. “We think he was portrayed accurately, and we’re trying to work things out.”
In fact, both parties have hopes of reaching an amicable solution but no legal action has yet been taken.
Still, both sides agree on one thing — each is posturing for the press.
Blatt, who is best known in the adult industry as a celebrity sex tape broker, came to the attention of the filmmakers during his bid to go mainstream with a reality TV show.
The show, which failed before it could be brought to air, tested the limits of the human psyche by starving contestants on a deserted island and presenting them with what they thought to be human flesh to eat.
Although Blatt is an “integral part of the film,” he is not the sole focus of the documentary, Jensen said. Blatt is just one of several reality television people interviewed for the project.
“I gave them [the filmmakers] access to me,” Blatt told XBIZ. “But I’ve had the feeling that they were focusing more on the adult business stuff that I’ve done and that some of what they show might bite me in the ass.”
Since the show’s wash out, Blatt has found himself in an uncomfortable position, with one foot in the mainstream world and the other firmly planted in adult.
“If I was a mainstream player and I was being paid for this, it might be a different story,” Blatt said. “I feel taken advantage of.”
According to Blatt, the attention, and specifically scenes that reveal details about his efforts to broker celebrity sex tapes, could potentially hurt his pocket book as a player in the adult arena.
On the other hand, Blatt wasn’t so sure that the same press would be bad press if went “Hollywood.”
“As for being a mainstream player, if I was getting paid for that, it [the press] might be a different story,” Blatt said.
From a legal perspective, Kugel pointed out that a lawsuit would require Blatt to allege irreparable damages, an issue that could be hard to pin down given the fact that he now operates between two rather distinct industries.
“Ultimately, damages will be a question for Kevin to determine,” Kugel said. “It depends on what he sees in the film, then he’ll have to see if that hurts his business [both mainstream and adult].”
