German cannibal finds film distasteful

COLOGNE, Germany (Hollywood Reporter) - A German cannibal is taking legal action to stop the release of the horror film "Butterfly: A Grimm Love Story," which he claims is based on his life.

Keri Russell ("Felicity") stars as a graduate student researching imprisoned cannibal Simon Grobeck (Thomas Kretschmann). Russell is drawn into Grobeck's world and becomes obsessed with the Internet cannibal community. "Butterfly" is scheduled for a March 9 release in Germany.

But not if Armin Meiwes, who was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison for eating a man he met over the Internet, has his way. In a statement Monday, Meiwes's lawyer, Harald Ermel, said the film is a "slavish re-enactment" of the real-life events and his client did not give permission to producer Atlantic Streamline to fictionalize his story.

"I feel used," said Meiwes, who filmed the killing and confessed to the crime but denied it was murder since his victim volunteered to be eaten.

Berlin-based distributor Senator Film said it had no plans to pull "Butterfly," which was directed by Martin Weisz.

Meiwes goes before court again Thursday in the second stage of his trial. He faces life imprisonment. His lawyer said Meiwes wanted to prevent "Butterfly" from depicting a "false and stigmatized" version of cannibalism that could adversely affect the trial's outcome.

Meiwes also is suing German rock band Rammstein, claiming its song "Mein Teil" (My Piece) refers to his case.

Meiwes has given Hamburg production company Stampfwerk the rights to his story. Stampfwerk is producing a 90-minute documentary on Meiwes and his trial.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

It seems like the cannibal community is the last minority we can still exploit in such a blatant way. Such a shame.

Talk about biting off more than you can chew.

The "Internet Cannibal Community" eh? Perhaps it's time for a new sub-forum?

Are you volunteering to moderate it?

You sound delicious, by the way...

I was a habitual fingernail biter before seeking help, so I can empathize.

In other news, the release of the film could also be halted as the makers of Silence of the Lambs rise up in protest, claiming that this is nothing more than a modernized remake of their classic film.

-JP

I, for one, would be outraged at a 2000's remake of a 1980's Hannibal Lector movie.

Yep, especially an unauthorized and...German one.

What a moron! That guy can bite me!*



*The above does not constitute an agreement of any kind.

Am I the only one who is shocked by the news that this guy only got 8 years for killing and eating someone on film?

That crossed my mind as well...until I read on and saw that the second part of his trial is forthcoming, and that he could face up to life in prison. That whacky German legal system.

-JP

Is this internet community like a cross between foodnetwork.com and match.com?

I think they mean here

http://www.eathufu.com/Merchant2/mer...ry_Code=MV_DVD

If he had been given the death penalty, I wonder who he would have requested as his last meal?

I wanna see the movie

I guess Eating Rauol wasn't up to their high standards.

Yep, and it's a shame for them, because they were one Eating Raoul shy of stealing all of my online DVD business from DDD and the like.

-JP

Germany has no death penalty. But his last meal would probably a huge sausage.