Spice Girls’ Mel C joins forces with Rebel Wilson for ‘ultimate girl power movie’ after the director became embroiled in a legal war

The singer, 51, will appear alongside All Saints’ Shaznay Lewis and Pussycat Dolls’ Ashley Roberts for Rebel’s upcoming film, Girl Group. 

The movie will also star actress Sheridan Smith, who starred in ITV true crime drama I Fought The Law.

Rebel will write, produce and star in the comedy as production has already started, according to Deadline. 

The film will see Rebel play a pop diva who has been booted out of her group’s reunion tour and will be sentenced to a community service order from the courts. 

Determined to still make it big in the industry, she returns to coach a group of misfit teenage girls for a life-changing audition with the hopes of getting signed by a top record label. 

But not everything goes to plan. After pushing them too far, she is faced with the toxic issues plaguing the music industry and her own life.  

Rebel has said it’s the ‘ultimate girl power movie’.

‘Ever since being a part of the Pitch Perfect franchise, I’ve always wanted to create something similar,’ she said. 

‘Girl Group is just so fun and full of spirit that’s ready to have you singing and dancing out of the cinema.’

The actress will be hoping this project goes smoother than her first foray into directing, The Deb, after she has been embroiled in a messy legal war. 

Rebel’s co-producers on her musical comedy The Deb allege the actor is sabotaging the film’s long-delayed release so she can buy them out at a reduced cost. 

She is now the subject of three legal claims related to the film’s stalled release, including a threat of defamation action by The Deb’s leading actor, Charlotte MacInnes.

The Pitch Perfect star is already being sued for defamation by three of the film’s producers in the US and production company AI Film is seeking damages in the NSW Supreme Court. 

The Deb was a joint production between AI Film and Wilson’s company Camp Sugar, featuring Wilson both in the director’s chair and on-screen in a starring role.

A joint venture between Wilson and AI Film called Dunburn Debutantes Commissioning Company (DDCC) was formed to hold the rights to The Deb and split all revenue.  

The project imploded after Wilson allegedly made a series of derogatory Instagram posts about fellow producers Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden in mid-2024.

Rebel used social media pages to accuse the trio of sexual harassment, embezzlement and obstructing her directorial debut’s release in cinemas, all of which they have vehemently denied.

AI Film alleges in its Australian legal claim that Wilson has engaged in conduct ‘for the purpose of damaging [its] business and reputation’, according to court documents filed in the NSW Supreme Court.