Amber Heard has filed a lawsuit against the producers of film London Fields over the filming of explicit sex scenes with her body double.

In 2016, it was reported that the actor was being sued by producer Christopher Hanley for $10 million over allegations that she conspired with the director, Matthew Cullen, to remove some of the nudity and sexually explicit scenes from the film, an adaptation of Martin Amis’ novel of the same name.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Heard is now countersuing Hanley and his wife Roberta, the film’s screenwriter. She alleges that the “lascivious and sexually exploitative couple” violated a “nudity rider” included in her contract by shooting footage after she had finished filming, without her knowledge or consent.

Heard’s lawyer says that the footage, featured in a producer’s cut of the film, was edited so as to leave audiences “with the distinct impression that it was Heard” in the scene.

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“Amber Heard is the latest victim of this lascivious and sexploitive couple,” the suit alleges. “After reading the script, she insisted on specific restrictions about nudity and sex scenes in the film as a condition to agreeing to appear in the movie. Hanley expressly agreed to Heard’s terms, and they were memorialised in the nudity rider to her contract.”

The suit continues: “The Hanleys also caused to be filmed secretly several additional nude and sex scenes with a body double for Heard and included them in the producer’s cut – also in violation of the nudity rider. The secret filming of this body double footage was not on the schedule that had been provided to Heard and was shot with a skeleton crew only after Heard had completed filming and had left the set.

“The body double footage included an explicit pornographic sex scene that Heard would never have agreed to do herself […] the body double footage was designed and intended to leave anyone who saw the images with the distinct impression that it was Heard.”

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Heard’s lawyer also alleges that Hanley demanded “continuity pictures” of the actor in “various states of undress during wardrobe changes”. The pictures are used to make sure actors’ make-up remains consistent from scene to scene, but Heard alleges that they were retained by Hanley after filming had been completed.

“There is no legitimate business purpose for Hanley to have such photographs after filming was concluded, and the Hanleys had and have no rights to use such photographs for any proper purpose after filming ended,” reads the suit. “The Hanleys' prurient interest in exploiting Heard – both on and off camera – speaks volumes about their values.”

Responding to the allegations, lawyer Matthew Rosengart – who is representing the Hanleys – said: “The cross-complaint is a work of fiction, worthy of Ms Heard’s London Fields character Nicola Six, and it marks the latest in a series of fantastical allegations she has made.”

However Heard, on Thursday (30 March), told the judge: “This case shines a spotlight on the dark underbelly of Hollywood.”

Meanwhile director Cullen has also filed a lawsuit against Hanley for fraud, claiming the couple added “incendiary imagery evoking 9/11 jumpers edited against pornography”.

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The film – which also stars Billy Bob Thornton, Jaimie Alexander, Lily Cole, and Cara Delevingne – was pulled from the 2015 Toronto Film Festival due to the ongoing legal dispute.

It tells the story of a clairvoyant, Nicola Six (Heard), who has been living with a dark premonition of her impending death by murder. She begins a tangled love affair with three uniquely different men: one of whom she knows will be her murderer.

Images: Rex Features