The Troubled Life Of Hayden Christensen's Brother Tove

Tove Christensen may not be a Hollywood household name. In fact, the producer once had more attention for his legal trouble than his films. Hayden, transformed from his "Star Wars" days, is the most famous of the four Christensen siblings, while his brother and collaborator Tove is known for a handful of film producer roles. Back in 2013, things seemed to be going well for Tove. He and Hayden had teamed up to create a new film production company called Glacier Films and even announced 11 movies to start their company with a bang. Things didn't seem to work out the way they planned, though, with only seven of those movies ever seeing release. 

A year after Tove and Hayden launched their company, fellow producer and company backer Vladimir Poliakov created a $100 million fund to help the company grow. "It's been invaluable to have Vladimir's support," Tove told Screen Daily. "The way he envisions the future of this company and brings his relationships to bear is a huge deal." Before all this, though, it had been a rough road for Tove.

Just as his producing career was getting off the ground, Tove Christensen found himself in legal trouble. In 2009 he was arrested on charges of felony assault with a deadly weapon. In the early morning hours of September 2, 2009, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Christensen, who was alleged to have pushed his girlfriend down. 

What made the situation more frightening, however, is that witnesses reported to the police that when Christensen attempted to drive away, he ended up dragging his girlfriend from the car for several dozen feet. Reports indicate that Christensen's girlfriend was not severely physically harmed in the incident, only noting marks on her arm from the alleged assault. 

In January of 2010, Christensen pled no contest to misdemeanor battery. He was sentenced to 20 days of community service with Hollywood Beautification. This program cleans up neighborhoods by way of graffiti removal, trash pickup, and anything else needed to beautify an area. Beyond his mandatory community service, Christensen was also ordered to attend a year of domestic violence counseling and put on a three-year probation.

Fresh off his leading role as Anakin Skywalker in the "Star Wars" prequels, Hayden Christensen was in demand. So, too, was his up-and-coming producer brother Tove. But along came a film producer by the name of Philippe Martinez, who, in 2005, offered the brothers a big contract. In a TMZ exclusive, it was revealed in 2009 that Martinez's $3 million deal for a film entitled "Crash Bandits" was in itself a heist of time and the duo's attention — because it never happened. Per the outlet, the contract stipulated that Martinez would own a share of future projects by the brothers as well. 

Tove and Hayden took Martinez and his company, Bauer Martinez Entertainment, to court in October 2009 to demand payments. The lawsuit was asking for over $2.6 million that Martinez never paid the Christensen brothers. Martinez wasn't a fake producer, though; after backing a dozen features, he eventually ended up in $100 million worth of debt. "I've reduced the debt to $10 million," Martinez told The Wrap in 2009. "I didn't want to declare bankruptcy. I don't owe money to any actors, any crew, any bond companies." 

By 2006 Tove and Hayden agreed to a settlement of $633,888. However, it seems they were not paid even the reduced settlement amount.