Uzbekistan’s film licensing body has stopped the release of a homegrown movie because it doesn’t feature Morgan Freeman. The actor was featured on posters to sell Daydi (Rogue), but makes no appearance in the final product.
The poster appeared to lift images of the actor from the promotional materials for the 2015 film Last Knights. The licensers accused production studio Timur Film of breaching consumers’ rights by falsely promising an appearance from the A-lister. Timur Film has yet to comment.
The film does feature Uzbek star Mirolim Quilchev as a police officer defending his country from a gang of assassins. Whether it will be granted release eventually rests on the verdicts of two other government bodies.
Cinema in the country is currently prolific yet uncelebrated. Studios churn out dozens of films each year, with few gaining international release.
