Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson are dragged into toxic family civil war after box office blockbuster: ‘Monsters’

Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson’s new film, Song Sung Blue, was set to be a box-office hit this Christmas.

The A-listers play real-life husband and wife, Mike and Claire Sardina – Milwaukee-based Neil Diamond impersonators from the 1990s who formed a band called Lightning and Thunder.

But while Jackman, 57, and Hudson, 46, have been happily promoting the film, their smiles have seemingly masked turmoil unfolding behind the scenes.

For the Daily Mail can reveal the silver screen adaptation of the Sardinas’ lives has left Mike’s only son furious at the portrayal of his late father and family’s story.

In an exclusive interview, Michael ‘Mike’ Sardina Jr – Mike’s son from his second marriage to Diane Annunziata – told this publication that he is considering legal action against the production company, Davis Entertainment, as well as distributors Focus Features and NBCUniversal. He claims they ‘completely destroyed the one thing my father worked his entire life to pass on – his legacy.’

‘My father’s rolling in his grave right now,’ said Mike Jr, 41.

Mike, who also claims his existence was ‘purposely cut out of the film,’ said he was paid ‘a pathetic $30,000’ to be a ‘consultant’ on the movie.

He is listed as a consultant alongside his sister, Angelina, 40, played on screen by singer-songwriter King Princess, who confirmed she received the same amount of money.

In text messages between Angelina and producer John Fox from September to December 2024, seen by the Daily Mail, Fox confirmed the $30,000 figure.

Fox also acknowledged Angelina’s frustrations about the lack of input, and told her: ‘I totally understand, and I’m sorry, know it’s not the most ideal situation.’ 

The contract signed by Angelina stated that there was no obligation to consult and that she authorized a fictionalized telling of herself and the story.

‘I didn’t have any contact with King Princess, who played me,’ Angelina, who is also from Mike Sardina’s previous marriage, told the Daily Mail. ‘And I didn’t have any contact with Kate Hudson or Hugh Jackman, anyone from the cast.’

The contract did not state that she would be put in contact with any of the cast. 

Mike Jr and Angelina were invited to the premiere in New York City on December 11 – on the proviso that Mike Jr ‘keep away from any of the stars and reporters,’ he claimed. 

Meanwhile, their stepmom Claire, 64, and her children Dayna, 37, and Rachel Cartwright, 41, from a previous marriage, played by actors Hudson Hensley and Ella Anderson, posed for photos with Jackman and Hudson, who has snagged a Golden Globes nomination for playing the role of Claire. 

Ignoring the alleged orders, Mike Jr made it his mission to introduce himself to the A-list actors while Angelina made conversation with Hudson’s mom, Goldie Hawn.

Of his encounter, Mike Jr said: ‘I walked right up to Kate Hudson, introduced myself.’

But the Florida-native called Jackman and Hudson ‘monsters’ for failing to mention his name on the promotional tour.

He said he feels they could have reached out to him while preparing for the Craig Brewer-directed biopic, though they were under no obligation to do so.

‘Every interview that those monsters have been on national television don’t even mention my existence at all, even though I was the most prevalent force in my father’s life, even when I wasn’t in Wisconsin, because I’m his only son,’ he told the Daily Mail.

‘They didn’t even try to contact me… They didn’t try to get more information… They could have very easily asked Craig [Brewer].’

Upon seeing the film, the siblings realized how far from their version of reality they believed the movie was, which was acknowledged by Brewer. 

In an October 2025 text message exchange with Angelina, he wrote: ‘I know there’s so much that I didn’t get that was accurate.’

He also told Angelina via text that he was aware that Mike Jr is ‘frustrated,’ writing, ‘I’m just trying to take care of Mike’s kids.

‘And he’s one of them. I’m sure [he’s frustrated] because he didn’t directly help the movie.’

So, with conflicts over the portrayal, what do the siblings believe is true?

‘The only thing that was true is the love between my dad and Claire,’ said Angelina, who has two children and is expecting a third with her wife Erian.

But her brother, for his part, has multiple grievances with how their father is portrayed. 

‘[My father] would thank God every single show, and then he would go on a very short testimony about his journey through recovery,’ he recalled.

‘And if anybody felt like they were alone or maybe they needed help or they needed prayer, [he would tell them], ‘You come up here after the show and I will sit here and I’ll talk to you.”

He also believes that if Jackman had had a conversation with himself or Angelina, he would have known that their father ‘would speak in a very, very slow kind of way’ but also had an excitement in his voice that he would throw into his performances.

But perhaps their biggest issue is what Mike Jr says is the film’s failure to depict the true family dynamic. 

Claire, a previously divorced mom with two children, married Mike in 1994 at the Wisconsin State Fair.

It was his third marriage. In 1999, tragedy struck when she was gardening outside and was struck by a disoriented driver, forcing her to have her leg amputated below the knee.

As a result of the lengthy recovery, Lightning and Thunder stopped performing and Mike made a living as an auto mechanic and handyman. 

But Mike Jr claims the film failed to detail their ‘extremely violent’ household, where there was alleged drug use and sibling rivalry, including between himself and his stepbrother Dayna. Mike Jr also recalled the ‘rough time’ after Claire’s accident.

Mike Sardina died on July 27, 2006, aged 55, of complications from a severe brain bleed following a fall at his home in Milwaukee. He slipped into a coma before passing away at the hospital days later.

While the film portrays his death a bit differently, Angelina insisted that the true story is complicated.

Angelina, who owns her own pet service business, said: ‘I mean, yes, it’s a great story.

‘It’s a beautiful story, but that’s not how it went down. And I guess that’s what’s upsetting because it’s a lie.’ 

But Mike Jr, who claims to have developed an incorruptible AI interface that has yet to be released, is hopeful that a lawsuit against the production company will finally bring to light the true story of their father’s life and he will get ‘vindication’ for him.

‘I want the true story out there and I want it used with truth, with dignity, and I want retribution,’ he said, adding that he would like to see a bonus section be featured at the end of the film. 

‘I want retribution from NBCUniversal [and other parties involved], not just for me, for my father, for me, and for my little sister – my father’s true descendants because they screwed us over,’ he added. 

‘Everybody thinks it’s such a wonderful film, it’s so touching. It’s all lies. And it steals all the hard work that my father put in his entire life so that Claire, Rachel, and Dayna can soak up a massive paycheck.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to Claire Sardina, Dayna and Rachel Cartwright as well as Craig Brewer, John Fox, NBCUniversal, Focus Features, Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman for comment.