Clive Cussler tells court Hollywood ruined his book
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Author Clive Cussler told a court on Tuesday that a Hollywood production company ripped the heart out of his book "Sahara" when it was turned into a movie that flopped at the box office.
"They tore the heart out of it. They ruined the film," Cussler testified in his breach of contract suit against Crusader Entertainment LLC.
Cussler began his suit in 2004, a year before the film starring, Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz, opened. The 75-year-old author said Crusader breached its contract by radically altering the screenplay without his consent.
Cussler told jurors that a Crusader executive praised a proposed screenplay he showed them in 2001. But he added that they then turned to Josh Friedman to write the "Sahara" script.
"I thought it was just awful," Cussler testified. "I got as far as page 35. I couldn't go on."
Cussler said he considered the dialogue in the Friedman script silly and added that Friedman refused to work with him on a compromise.
Crusader Entertainment is a unit of the Anschutz Corp., owned by Denver billionaire Phil Anschutz.
