Marty Bregman owes big. The Oscar-nominated producer of “Scarface,” “Carlito’s Way” and dozens of other films is on the hook for millions of dollars to two friends who invested in a movie version of “The Gold Coast,” a 1990 best seller by Nelson DeMille.
Real estate biggie George S. Kaufman and Pantone color system founder Larry Herbert invested with Bregman in 2008.
The movie was supposed to star Richard Gere as a WASPy Wall Street lawyer whose beautiful wife draws the attentions of a Mafia don.
In 2013, with no progress being made on the movie, the two investors sued, claiming they’d been swindled.
Their complaint stated, “Bregman’s assurances were a fabrication. He had neither stars, nor budget, nor studio approval, and no intent to use any funds to pay for anything but his personal expenses.”
Earlier this month, Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Eileen Rakower handed down a decision on the suit, awarding $3.1 million to Kaufman and $1.6 million to Herbert.
Bregman, 85, hasn’t produced a movie in 11 years. But he is not without assets. He recently cut the asking price on his four-bedroom Park Avenue apartment to $7.9 million.
The producer, who is credited with making Al Pacino a star, is married to Cornelia Sharpe, the leading lady of his first movie, “Serpico,” in 1973.
Sources believe Kaufman and Herbert, whose lawyer didn’t respond to request for comment, don’t expect to collect from their former friend and sued so they can claim their bad investments as tax losses. Bergman couldn’t be reached for comment.