Exclusive:The California Schemin' court feud between Scottish producers of James McAvoy film

In a personal civil case taken by established film and TV producer Guy Louthan, Mr Louthan claims he was ousted from the film - which is due to close Glasgow Film Festival next month - by his assistant, Danny Page, from Edinburgh.

Mr Page, who previously had little experience in the industry, was a friend of Mr Louthan’s nephew who had begun working for the producer after contacting him to ask for help in getting into the film industry.

California Schemin', which was filmed mainly in Scotland, tells the story of Silibil N’ Brains - a pair of rappers from a Dundee council estate who pretended to be American to break into the music industry - and ended up touring with Eminem.

The case, which is against Mr Page personally, not the film or its distributors, states that the pair had “shared a mutual intent” that their collaboration would be on a 50/50 basis with equal producer credit, profit participation, and ownership rights. At the time of this agreement, the project lacked a completed screenplay, cast, funding, or production infrastructure.

Read more: California Schemin’ review: James McAvoy’s' cautionary tale, done with real panache'

Mr Louthan’s case claimed he had been key to the strategic re-development of the screenplay, securing A-list talent including Mr McAvoy; raising funds for the project; introducing and engaging United Talent Agency agents to assist with domestic financing; coordinating with international sales agent Bankside Films for foreign rights and working with Screen Scotland to secure development support funding.

He also claimed he had incurred $30,0000 to $35,000 in personal expenses, including for a number of trips to Scotland from his LA base for location scouting and investor meetings.

The court documents, seen by Scotland on Sunday, state: “In or around early 2021, defendant Danny Page, a former assistant to plaintiff Guy Jon Louthan, approached Guy in Los Angeles County, California, seeking his involvement in the development and production of a motion picture project entitled California Schemin’.

“The film was based on a true story adapted from the book by Gavin Bain about two young Scotsmen. At the time, Danny had no notable producing experience or industry credentials and turned to Guy to lend credibility, connections, and expertise to the project.”

However, the documents state that soon afterwards, Mr Page caused the rights to the film, originally held by Dark Brood, a Scottish registered company of which Mr Page was a director, to be assigned to a new entity, Homefront Productions Limited, another Scottish registered company under Mr Page’s sole control.

However, a development deck created by Homefront Productions, cited in the lawsuit and used to promote the film to potential collaborators, lists Mr Louthan as “the producer” of the film.

Read more: California Schemin': Everything you need to know about James McAvoy's directorial debut, from reviews to release date

The documents say: “The transfer was not disclosed to Guy at the time, nor was Guy afforded an opportunity to review or approve the assignment, despite his material contributions and ownership stake under the parties’ implied-in-fact contract.”

They add: “Guy has not received any compensation, producer credit, ownership share, or profits for his years of work. Instead, he has been cut out of the project entirely, despite delivering all services required under the parties’ agreement and documented obligations.

“Guy brings this action to enforce his rights, recover what he is owed, and obtain declaratory relief recognizing his contributions and contractual interest in California Schemin’.”

Mr Louthan, who is originally from Kelso, said he had first heard about the fact he had been removed from the film after he received a letter from Mr Page's lawyer "giving me a slap on the back and offering me £10 to remove all producer credit and go away".

He told Scotland on Sunday: "It is very sad that somebody would make this decision. I had a ten year relationship with this guy and I liked him. I went to America from Scotland with $600 and made it and I thought this kid was a similar spirit, I was wrong.

“I’ve been in the business for years and I’ve seen it all. There’s a saying that a friend in Hollywood is someone who stabs you in the front.”

He said he had chosen to take a personal case against Mr Page rather than the film as a whole.

Read more: Exclusive:California Schemin' producer pursued in US courts tells Glasgow festival he worked alone to finance hit film

He said: "I didn't want to damage the movie's chances. James McAvoy is someone I know and his agents are people I have worked with for years.

“It would just be nice to put a full stop on it from my end.”

The legal papers were last month served to a New York address believed to be occupied by Mr Page, however he has denied the person who accepted them was him. Mr Louthan said he would now pursue an international process to have the papers served to Mr Page's home address in Scotland.

Mr Page has not responded to requests for comment.