French director Luc Besson slams paparazzi after finishing Taiwan “Lucy” shoot

TAIPEI, Taiwan – French film director Luc Besson has slammed paparazzi in Taiwan for interfering with the shooting of his latest film, but denies reports that he considered leaving the island early to underscore his disgust over their actions.

Besson spent 11 days in Taipei filming “Lucy” with American actress Scarlett Johansson. Johansson plays a drug mule whose contact with a “super-serum” endows her with superhuman abilities.

Besson told reporters Friday that the paparazzi problem was so severe “that I sometimes lost my concentration.”

He singled out two unnamed agencies from Hong Kong, saying was infuriated by their attempts to photograph Johansson. He labeled as “wrong” press reports that he wanted to leave Taiwan early and thanked local authorities for their co-operation.