Image Credit: Denise Truscello/WireImage.comPiranha 3D director Alexandre Aja has told EW he is not worried about the possibility of legal action by Girls Gone Wild chief Joe Francis. In the film, which was released on Friday, Jerry O’Connell plays a character named Derrick Jones who runs a Girls Gone Wild-type operation called Wild Wild Girls. Jones is shown snorting cocaine and encouraging two underage characters to drink liquor. Last week, according to The Hollywood Reporter, a lawyer representing Francis sent a letter to Piranha 3D distributors The Weinstein Company cautioning “all those associated” with the film to refrain from maligning Francis. The letter stated that “any defamatory or disparaging statements; or depictions in the media or in the film itself, or other statements that portray Francis in a false light, will be met with swift litigation to recover substantial damages.”
“I believe Mr. O’Connell may lose more than his penis if he and the Weinstein Co. choose to release this film and continue to falsely associate me with its questionable content,” Francis told The Hollywood Reporter, referring to a sequence in the movie during which Derrick Jones’ penis is indeed bitten off by piranha.
But according to Aja, the character in the spring break-set movie was actually inspired by a number of different people. “When I was writing and developing that character, which was in the original script, I never thought about Joe Francis,” said the French director. “I am not [concerned]. There are so many person like that. Spring break is about thousands and thousands of kids getting drunk and partying. Around them you have very bizarre people. On the one hand, you have the very religious ultra-Christian people trying to convince them to read the bible and not show their boobs. And on the other hand, you have people from the adult industry coming to provoke and tease college kids and have them doing crazy stuff on camera. This character of Jerry O’Connell’s was, for me, a human piranha. But not based on anyone specifically. Writing that script and creating the Wild Wild Girls, you cannot help yourself but think about Girls Gone Wild and about Joe Francis. But it’s a very very, very, very, very, different character. People might recognize a little bit of him, but it’s based on so many other people.”
Hey Joe Francis,
I saw Piranha 3D, and I thought the character in the movie was an outstanding douche-canoe. I thought he was a sleazy piece of poop. I thought he was you, Joe Francis, AKA King Douchey McGee.
Sue me.
He captured the character perfectly, just a complete dirt bag piece of s**t that deserves to have his johnson chewed off by carnivorous fish. I also thought of that Girls Gone Wild trouser stain.
Jerry O Connell is a king among men. He was in Sliders. The best Sci Fi show where it wasn’t based around a crew on a space ship. He’s freaking funny as hell and his wife is Rebecca Romijn. Francis is just fishing for publicity, and he’s gotten it.
Didn’t even know whom Joe Francis was before reading this.
I’m sorry to hear that you now know of him…He seems like a douche.
Sorry Bradley! Now you get to suffer like the rest of us..
Joe Franics defames himself very well on his own thank you very much.
It’s called parody and it’s protected free speech, Joe.
Here, here
there, there.
where where?
up there!
Parody is a “distorted imitation” of a person or his actions. They seem to have captured Joe Francis’ character accurately in this movie, so probably not a legal defense in this case.
But, truth is also a defense is a defamation suit.
I have seen this type in several Horror movies over the last few decades. I don’t believe any other sleaze ball besides Francis has ever associated themselves with any of those before now. So Francis are you beginning to feel guilty about something?
I’m thrilled to announce my project with the Weinsteins – “Gefilte Fish 3D”
gefilte fish….????!!!! are u jewish , and we have the same last name!
Joe Francis was on that “Kardashians” show… the Kardashian mother was kissing up to him and took her daughters to his home to participate in one of his sleazy photo shoots. Piranhas have more morals and class than these clowns.
lighten up
“I never thought about Joe Francis.”
YEAH RIGHT.
“Wild Wild Girls” is WAY too similar to the “Girls Gone Wild” franchise to make that statement. It is obvious he wanted viewers to make the connection between the two. Why lie? No one cares except for, I guess, Joe Francis…
Joe Francis, you’re being played by the fat kid from Stand By Me. You’re welcome.
haha the last thing joe francis ever has to worry about is someone dirtying his good name and pristine image!
Francis needs to shut is face- doesnt he have more girls to get on tape- they should take you to court your idiot-
Satire is protected by the Constitution. Francis wouldn’t have a leg–or a penis–to stand on.
Hey, Dysthymia83, didn’t see your comment up there. Glad someone already mentioned it.
Yeah, yeah, Joe Francis. Why don’t you go corrupt some more teenage girls on tape.
I hope I said that right.