CAA Hits the Mattresses Against Its Defectors

bryan lourd
CAA is demanding communications related to the work and fees of its erstwhile clients—including Benicio Del Toro, Casey Affleck, Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, among others—hoping to uncover more about the support provided to them by Range. Photo: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg
Eriq Gardner
August 21, 2024

A talent agency war is treading into explosive territory, with A-list stars possibly caught in the cross-fire. The controversy traces back to 2020, when a cohort of CAA agents, including veterans Peter Micelli, Dave Bugliari, and Jack Whigham, left to establish Range Media Partners with financial backing from hedge fund billionaire and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen. As Matt has chronicled, CAA immediately cut off their vested equity interests in the agency. So the defectors, now managers under the Range banner, tapped litigator Bryan Freedman to reclaim their stake. What hasn’t been reported is the aggressive response from Bryan Lourd’s CAA, which is probing how Range’s constellation of stars, including Bradley Cooper, Anna Kendrick, and Tom Hardy, have secured their recent roles.