Its not rare that various authors aren't happy with the film adaptations of their work, it is odd though when one not only expresses their unhappiness whilst their film is still in early production, AND is launching a lawsuit over it.
Variety reports that bestselling novelist Clive Cussler has sued Crusader Entertainment for allegedly changing the "Sahara" screenplay without Cussler's consent in spite of Cussler's script approval rights. The complaint was filed yesterday Los Angeles time with the aim to prevent the release of the film, and cut back or off the author's relationship with the production company.
This comes as surprising news. Cussler, one of the most well-known authors on the planet, has stated for sometime he'd been happy with how the production was going on the film which Paramount began shooting late last year and has scheduled for a fourth quarter 2004 release. The suit states that basically the agreement he signed with Crusader gave him "unqualified right of approval" over the screenplays, and that after Cussler approved the Sahara script, it was then altered subsequently without his consent.
The movie and book follows adventurer Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey) who along with a beautiful UN investigator (Penelope Cruz) and his sidekick (Steve Zahn) must stop a dangerous threat in Africa to the world's oceanic ecosystems. It is one of Cussler's most famous novels and the film is seen as a potential major franchise starter for Paramount.
Still this isn't the first time a 'Dirk Pitt' film has hit trouble. The sole previous attempt to adapt one of Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels was 1980's "Raise the Titanic", today still deemed as one of the most expensive movie failures in history. Production on the film will continue for now despite the filing, how things fall from here remains to be seen. Thanks to 'Wind Blown'
