A legal battle over Broadway productions of Grease, Sleuth, and Wait Until Dark, promised to star Al Pacino, Keira Knightley, Miley Cyrus, and Gary Oldman, may not be heading to New York.

In January, Stage producer Starvox Entertainment (Corey Ross) sued June Entertainment (John Ryan, Jr.) and Rubicon Falls Entertainment (R. Scott Reid) for fraud, claiming that the companies had accepted payments to deliver major stars for Broadway shows and then failed to return the money when the stars were not delivered.

Ross' suit with the New York State Supreme Court claims he paid a total of $200,000 to June Entertainment and Rubicon Falls in order to mount Sleuth with Oldman, Grease with Cyrus, and a remake of Wait Until Dark with Knightley and Pacino.

Ross sued when he discovered that none of the projects had any merit: Knightley’s agent said he never signed a contract and that his client was back in the U.K., while representatives for Pacino said he was not doing new work.

In January, a spokesperson for June Entertainment told Forbes that the entire case had no merit, and it was Ross/Starvox who owed money over a touring production of Sherlock Holmes. June Entertainment stated that Ross’ claim only came to light after June Entertainment sought unpaid wages and other fees on Sherlock.

“We are looking forward to putting these jokers behind us and the courts dropping the case once they find out the truth. Starvox is a joke and Corey Ross is a dishonest criminal,” a statement from June Entertainment reps reads.

The statement, which was published in Forbes, prompted Ross to amend his original suit in February with a defamation claim.

On May 22, Reid, of Rubicon Falls Entertainment, filed a motion with New York State Supreme Court to dismiss the case, citing numerous deficiencies in the suit, and stating that Ross was never actually shown definitive contracts.

Reid’s motion to dismiss states that Ross was merely shown a term sheet or a memorandum of understanding for an intended performance, not a legally binding contract. The motion goes on to state that none of the documents identified where the productions were to be performed.

Reid’s lawyers also countered that the original suit should have been filed in California, due to the defendants’ location, and that New York State has no interest in the case.

LOVE THEATRE? CHECK OUT PLAYBILL STORE FOR MERCHANDISE!