Screenwriter sues Tom Cruise for $1 billion

A US screenwriter is suing Tom Cruise for $US1 billion claiming that the movie star stole his idea for Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

Timothy Patrick McLanahan is alleging that he came up with the idea for the 2011 movie back in 1998.

According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline, Mr McLanahan alleged that: "In 1998, I had written a screenplay called Head On. After submitting it to the U.S. Copyright Office, Head On, received a copyright certificate protecting its material and author from unauthorised use."

Mr McLanahan claims he forwarded the script onto the William Morris Agency, only to have them pass on it before sending it on – without his permission – to another agency, Creative Artist Agency, where Tom Cruise's agent, Rick Nicita, works.

Court documents allege that originally Mr McLanahan's script gained little interest, until years later when Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol was released.

"I immediately recognised that the scripts for the movie had been illegally written and produced from Head On's 1998 copyright," Mr McLanahan claims.

Mr McLanahan is suing Mr Cruise, Paramount Pictures and various production companies for $1 billion, for the overall estimated gross of the movie.

Source: RadarOnline

Author: Natasha Lee, Approving editor: Matthew Henry