AceShowbiz - The distributors of Johnny Depp's movie "City of Lies" are facing a lawsuit from bankers angry it was pulled from release due to his personal troubles.

The film, which stars Depp as a detective who investigated the murders of Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur, was due to hit cinemas on September 7 but was shelved by bosses at Global Road Entertainment after a location manager filed a lawsuit alleging the star punched him on the set - an allegation Depp denies.

According to the New York Post's Page Six gossip column, lawyers for Israel's Bank Leumi have filed documents in California federal court alleging the firm and Disney's Miramax arm, which owns the TV rights to the movie, are using the lawsuit as an excuse to pull the film and avoid paying expenses set out in an agreement with the bank.

In court documents, lawyers for Bank Leumi claim Miramax told the bankers they won't be paying up because there were, "significant problems with the production" that have devalued the film's worth - including reports of Depp's conduct off set and the location manager's lawsuit. Depp finalised his divorce from the actress Amber Heard last year. She initially accused him of domestic abuse but later withdrew the allegation.

The bankers claim the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star's woes are not the real reason the film was shelved - alleging Global Road chiefs are trying to get out of paying $10 million (£8 million) for marketing and distribution expenses, as the firm is struggling financially. The company has reportedly been laying off employees and is selling off a number of films on its slate.

Meanwhile, Depp, 55, has been involved in a string of legal wrangles, including a lawsuit alleging his former manager Jacob A. Bloom stole $30 million (£22.8 million) from him by falsely charging fees. He won a controversial legal victory in that case on Tuesday, August 28 when a California judge ruled an oral agreement between them was not valid under California law.