The big-screen adaptation of the best-selling book "The Da Vinci Code" might be delayed due to a legal challenge reports The Scotsman.

The film is set to be released worldwide on May 19th, but a copyright claim by the writers of a non-fiction book, "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail", is due in the High Court in London next week.

The $10 million claim by co-authors Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, who wrote the book in 1984, is for breach of copyright on the grounds that the structure of their book was plagiarised by author Dan Brown for The Da Vinci Code.

If the judge upholds the claim, there could be a lengthy delay or even ban on the film, which is expected to be the biggest British film of the year.