Director/producer Ben Affleck, center, accepts the Academey Award for best picture for "Argo." Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Iran May Sue Ben Affleck and George Clooney Over 'Argo'
Iranian media is abuzz with reports that Iran's government is preparing to sue Hollywood over the "unrealistic portrayal" of Iranians in the Oscar-winning film.
Ben Affleck knows he disappointed the country of Iran with his portrayal of the country in his Oscar winner, Argo. But after the amazing February he had collecting trophies from every award show in the business, we doubt he ever expected to face a lawsuit from Ahmadinejad & Partners.
According to an Associated Press report Tuesday morning, Iranian media — propaganda versions and otherwise — is abuzz with reports that Iran's government is preparing to sue Hollywood over the "unrealistic portrayal" of Iranians in the Oscar-winning film. Which parts of Hollywood could be sued, exactly, and which officials will be plaintiffs in this international movie tussle, reamin unclear. They could target Warner Brothers, Affleck, or producers George Clooney and his not-as-stunningly-beautiful producing partner Grant Heslov. But chances are that if the suit happens, Iran will target all of the big names at the same time and make a pretty big deal out of it by whatever means possible.
The Argo-as-propaganda propaganda ratcheted up after Iranian officials held their first official screening of Argo on Monday evening, at a gathering called "the Hoax of Hollywood." While Monday's event was the first official screening, most Iranians have already seen the movie, which is banned in the country for its depiction of the Iran hostage crisis from 1979 to 1981, thanks to a booming bootleg market.