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Seems to be yet another frivolous lawsuit claiming a studio stole an idea. Haven't seen one of these in almost a week.

From the article:

But the suit accuses Fox of developing the project under its own title, cutting Poll and Cohen out of the deal, and enlisting Moore to write a graphic novel based on their ideas as a "smokescreen" for the plagiarized movie script.

Hmmm, that sounds compelling. Especially when you take into account that Fox also produced From Hell based on a graphic novel by Moore. Clearly he was returning a favour to Fox when he agreed to concoct his LXG comic to coverup their theft. One can only wonder just how deep in bed Moore is with these crooks.

Yeesh. All these characters are in the public domain, and the idea of teaming them up is hardly rocket science. If a court agrees with that, it's quite possible that the plaintiffs could lose their suit even if they do prove Fox intentionally copied their basic idea (because the basic idea may not be copyrightable.)

I especially enjoyed this quote:

"As evidence of the studio's alleged wrongdoing, the suit says Fox claimed to have hired screenwriters to adapt Moore's graphic novel in 1998, as reported in Daily Variety, although the novel itself was not completed until the following year."

The whole concept of comic book stories being serialized over several months or years seems to have escaped them....

I'll see your and double it.




This lawsuit screams "trying to score quick cash"

thanks for the hearty laugh NitroJMS..

that Alan Moore

has anyone told him the movie's out already, so he could stop writing current "League" comics..

This is worse than the idiots trying to claim Rocky V and Backdraft (separate cases) were their ideas.

I wonder if this is the same Larry Cohen of It's Alive and Q fame. If it is you would have to think that he would know better about simple ideas being in the air.

A few months ago I started writing notes for a story idea I had. I was thinking about the phrase "I wouldn't sleep with you if you were the last man on earth." I had an idea about this fat shlub in a post-apcalyptic world. He is the only person left alive. Then after several years of traveling he meets up with this other survivor, a beautiful young woman. Since there is no other option she becomes his girlfriend. Then after a few years they discover a third survivor, a handsome young movie star, the equivilent of Tom Cruise or something. Now the fat shlub has to watch this guy take his girl. He can either stay and watch them together or be alone out in the wastelands.

A month or so after making these notes, I saw a trailer on The Rules of Attraction DVD for a movie with the exact same story. Everything. Sometimes it's hard to admit when you come up with what you think is a great idea, is the very good chance that loads of other people have thought of it before.

This wouldn't have been a very smart move on Fox's part. Why would they come up with an idea they thought was great and might make them millions, only to give ownership to Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neil? If you check the TM in the comic, they own the concept.

Yes, it is.

I think it's possible Poll & Cohen did have these ideas. I don't think Fox bankrolled Moore to write LEG, but perhaps "Cast Of Characters" influenced Fox's decision to pick up Moore's work.

Anyone have any idea what "Cast of Characters" was supposed to be about? A Web search doesn't turn up anything other than it's a "Victorian Thriller."

What kind of moron would want to claim Rocky V as thier idea?

Do they wish to be stoned to death? Rocky V was bad, very bad.

What is the name of the movie?

I think the guy was trying to claim that the story of a retired boxer training an up-and-coming boxer who eventually turns on him was his "original idea."

There was this one guy who took pictures of kids wearing Power Rangers-like outfits and tried to use them as proof in his lawsuit that he more or less invented Power Rangers. Of course, he failed to realize that Power Rangers weren't created in America.

I'm too lazy to dig the DVD out but I'm pretty sure it was called Last Man. It's a film by some buddy of Roger Avary.

What's funnier is that I had the exact same idea a year or so ago, and actually considered using it for my Project Greenlight entry. Maybe great minds truly do think alike, I dunno. I didn't know there was actually a similar movie that was actually made, though. I might have to check it out to see if they did things the way I would've.

Here's the movie's IMDB entry: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0231956/

It appears it's a comedy, so I guess it's really different than my take, which was a bleak thriller.

That man is a tool. That plot idea is a regular Hollywood mainstay

A retired cookie dough maker trains an up-and-coming cookie dough maker that turns on his/her trainer. In the end the retired cookie dough maker must come out of retirement to put the up-and-coming cookie dough maker in his place.


its about as cliched as the Romeo & Juliet storyline.

Horrifically stupid lawsuit. If Fox asked Moore to write a concept based on a pitch of theirs just so they could make a movie out of it, Moore would tell them to ***** off from that cave he lives in.