Mel Gibson sued by screenwriter
Los Angeles, February 12, 2008 Benedict Fitzgerald claims that when he was asked to write a
script about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Gibson told him the
movie would cost between $4 million to $7 million, according to the
lawsuit filed Monday in Superior Court. Fitzgerald also alleged
Gibson promised he wouldn't receive any money from the film and any
profit would be distributed to people who worked on it.
Gibson stated he didn't want "money on the back of what he
considered a personal gift to his (Roman Catholic) faith," the
lawsuit said.
Fitzgerald, who shared screenwriting credits with Gibson,
claimed he agreed to "a salary substantially less than what he
would have taken had he known the true budget for the film," which
the lawsuit claimed had an estimated budget of $25 million to $50
million. The 2004 movie went on to gross several hundred million
dollars.
The lawsuit doesn't specify how much Fitzgerald was paid.
An after-hours call to a publicist for Gibson, 52, wasn't
immediately returned.
The lawsuit claims fraud, breach of contract, unjust enrichment
and seeks unspecified damages. It also names Gibson's Icon
Productions LLC as a defendant.