Quaid launches $10m movie legal case
Quaid launches $10m movie legal case
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Friday, 24, Mar 2006 11:46
American actor Randy Quaid is said to have initiated legal action against the producers of hit film Brokeback Mountain over a salary row.
The 55-year-old claims producers James Schamus and David Linde lied about the scale of the film in order to sign him up on a cheaper pay deal.
He is now suing Focus Features, the firm behind the Academy Award-winning film, for $10 million (£5.7m) because of his contract being based on "economically unfavourable terms".
The legal action filed at Los Angeles superior court, attained by Variety, read: "Randy Quaid is an instantly recognisable household name and much-admired actor on the world's stage with a worldwide box office total of nearly $2 billion (£1.1bn).
"Defendants were engaging in a 'movie laundering' scheme designed to obtain the services of talent... for a picture that, in reality, had studio backing and would be exploited using traditional studio marketing and distribution techniques."
Ang Lee's film, which also starred Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Williams, is estimated to have made £92 million worldwide since its release.
Quaid's actual salary has not been disclosed but it is believed he is demanding significantly more than he was paid.