PARIS (Bloomberg) — Luc Besson's production company's filming of "From Paris With Love," starring John Travolta, was cancelled in the northeastern suburbs of the French capital after its cars were torched and crew was threatened.

Eleven cars belonging to Europacorp SA were set on fire on October 10 and 12 in Les Bosquets, a tough neighbourhood in the town of Montfermeil, ahead of the filming that was scheduled to start yesterday with Travolta and actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

"It's a catastrophe, we're very sad," Timm Rigal, the head of cabinet of the mayor's office in Montfermeil, said in a telephone interview. "Europacorp's boss Luc Besson came shortly after the cars were torched and said the filming was canceled."

Montfermeil is located in the Seine Saint-Denis region, where several impoverished towns were hit by suburban riots in November 2005 and again in March 2006. Thousands of cars were burned during weeks of violence. The unemployment rate in Les Bosquets is around 40 percent and higher for youth, Rigal said. The community living there comprises 49 different nationalities.

The 38 million-euro ($52 million) action movie has Travolta playing a US spy in Paris. The filming was to have taken place over 12 weeks in Paris, its suburbs and in the eastern town of Annecy, Europacorp said in an e-mailed statement.

Besson's production company had hired about 100 local people for the week of filming, for stunts, security and catering, Rigal said.

Some of the movie's scenes were to have been shot in a former social-housing building that is due to be demolished in three years and in is "really poor shape," he said.

"It's regrettable he's dropping everything after the first misfortune," Rigal said. "If you decide to do something here, you know what it takes. You know Montfermeil is not Club Med."

The Paris-based production company created and led by French director Luc Besson denied it has cancelled the filming in the town altogether.

"Maybe Mr. Besson said that in anger," said Axelle Vuillermet, Europacorp's spokeswoman. "The filming is suspended in Montfermeil, not cancelled."

Besson, who wrote the script for movies including "The Big Blue" and "The Fifth Element," controls about 62 percent of Europacorp. The company went public last year.