UPDATE 1-Toronto film fest pulls 'London Fields' amid ownership spat

(Adds comment from film's producer, paragraphs 7-9)
TORONTO, Sept 17 (Reuters) - The Toronto International Film
Festival (TIFF) has pulled the Friday night premiere of "London
Fields" after director Matthew Cullen filed a lawsuit claiming
the noir film's producers had added "incendiary imagery" without
his approval.
The film, based on a Martin Amis novel of same name, stars
Billy Bob Thornton and was due to be shown on Friday night and
then Saturday and Sunday afternoons. All have been canceled.
"With uncertainty surrounding the creative vision of the
version of the film scheduled to be screened on September 18th,
we feel it is only appropriate that we remove this film" from
the festival's lineup, TIFF said in a statement.
Cullen filed the lawsuit late on Tuesday claiming that
producer Chris Hanley and associates had "secretly prepared
their own version of the film" to lace it with violent imagery,
according to the New York Times.
The lawsuit said the added material included "incendiary
imagery evoking 9/11 jumpers edited against pornography," the
Times said.
"In its present form, the narrative is intercut with images
of a predatory drone, nuclear blasts, a person tumbling from a
World Trade Center tower, and what appears to be a gathering in
Mecca," the Times said after an earlier screening for media and
industry.
The producers of the film said in a statement they were
greatly disappointed that the festival decided to pull the film.
"We have always loved launching our films here, but feel
that in this particular case there has been an ill-considered
decision made against our rights," the statement said.
The statement said Cullen did not control the final cut of
the movie and that the production company would vigorously
oppose the lawsuit.
The Toronto festival earlier had to cancel screenings of the
Aretha Franklin documentary "Amazing Grace" after the singer
filed an injunction against its producers.