Fantastic Four star Ioan Gruffudd and his ex-wife Alice Evans were given one final chance Tuesday to end their bitter, years-long war before a grueling nine-day trial kicks off next week.
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But the hearing ended at an impasse with neither side willing to give an inch, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Now, the explosive courtroom showdown between the feuding exes will go ahead as scheduled on February 23 at Los Angeles Superior Court - where a judge will be forced to settle their toxic dispute.
Gruffudd, 51, appeared at the trial readiness conference dressed in a navy suit.
Evans, 57, meanwhile, tuned in live via audio link-up at the hearing which Judge Michael Convey warned was 'the last stop for this case.'
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At the center of the battle is Gruffudd's request for a permanent restraining order against his ex, accusing her of 'abuse and harassment' toward him and his new wife Bianca Wallace, 33, who he plans to call as a witness at trial.
Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans reconvened Tuesday for a last-ditch bid to reach a truce, but talks ended in a stalemate, the Daily Mail has learned. The two are seen arriving at an LA court in 2024
They are also locked in a dispute over spousal and child support payments for their daughters, Ella, 16, and Elsie, 12.
The battling duo have gotten together for several court-ordered settlement conferences and while they did reach an agreement on some issues, they couldn't bury the hatchet on these two major points of contention.
And on Tuesday, after hearing from their lawyers that they have had more 'meet-and-confer sessions' that also failed to end their disputes, Judge Convey urged Gruffudd and Evans to be 'civil' to one another and not to turn the upcoming trial into a knock-down-drag-out fight.
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'You are represented by excellent attorneys - use those attorneys for the benefit of your family,' the judge told them.
'We don't need drama. We need to concentrate on the best interests of the children.'
According to filings related to the hearing, the drama has reached a boiling point due to several incidents over the years.
Gruffudd has moved on with new wife Bianca Wallace, whom he married in April of last year
Gruffudd is aiming to end spousal support and extend a restraining order to stop Evans from 'stalking' him and trashing him and his new wife, Bianca Wallace, 33, online; the couple welcomed their daughter Mila on November 2
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Gruffudd claims that, despite a previous three-year restraining order against her, Evans has waged an 'extensive and relentless five-year campaign of domestic abuse against he and Wallace, who gave birth to the actor's newest daughter, Mila, in November.
Evans denies the accusations and opposes the restraining order, calling them 'simply not reasonable or credible.'
She also argues that the recent comments she made on social media 'were not harassment - they were merely statements made by Alice about her life and current circumstances.'
Evans is demanding Gruffudd's current monthly spousal support payments increase from $1,500 to $1,850 and his child support from $3,000 a month to $4,650.
The actor, however, wants to 'terminate' spousal support altogether, 'based upon Alice's 'persistent domestic abuse of him and her many violations of the restraining order'.
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Gruffudd also maintains that he has already 'grossly overpaid' Evans in spousal support to the tune of $400,000.
Gruffudd and Evans, who share daughters Ella, 16, and Elsie, 13, finalized their divorce in 2023 and have since been locked in a bitter dispute over restraining orders, custody and money
The two met on the set of 102 Dalmatians in 1999 and married in 2007
Evans has also said she's struggling financially, claiming she and her daughters were evicted from their home for falling behind on rent. She also alleges she has been forced to sell her designer clothes and set up a GoFundMe account to raise the money just to put food on the table as a result.
But Gruffudd has disputed that account, claiming Evans 'purposely got herself evicted...to support her false public narrative of financial destitution in an attempt to further harm my reputation...as a fraudulent way to strong-arm me into paying more support than I can afford.'
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He insists that Evans made more than $130,000 in 2024 and adds, 'Alice is capable of working full time and earning a good living utilizing her many talents in a variety of jobs.'
Gruffudd reports earning about $575,000 annually, but she counters that he was making closer to $588,000 a year before their split.
She has also accused him of rarely, if ever, seeing their daughters, but Gruffudd claims she's to blame.
'Alice's intentional and extensive social media campaign to damage his earning capacity as an actor and over her jealousy of his wife Bianca Gruffudd have poisoned and alienated the girls' once-healthy relationship with their father,' he argues.
Gruffudd is demanding Evans pay the $43,000 it cost him in legal fees to petition the court to renew the restraining order against her.
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She has opposed the request, calling the amount 'unbelievable,' and claiming she 'does not have the ability' to pay any more.
Evans and Gruffudd met on the set of the movie 102 Dalmatians more than 20 years ago. They fell in love in real life and married in Mexico in 2007.
Ioan filed for divorce in March 2021, after Alice announced on social media that her husband of 14 years was leaving her. They were officially divorced in July 2023.