Writer Sues Mel Gibson Over ´Passion´ Money

Benedict Fitzgerald sued Gibson and his production company Icon for breach of contract.

A US screenwriter has sued star actor-director Mel Gibson claiming he underpayed him for work on the 2004 blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ," according to court papers.

Benedict Fitzgerald sued Gibson and his production company Icon for breach of contract, claiming that when he committed to him to write the script, he was told that "Passion" only had a small budget of four to seven million dollars.

He said he then agreed to a "relatively small salary," a 75,000 dollar production bonus, another 75,000 dollars if the movie broke even, and then five percent of revenues, the lawsuit says.

The film eventually earned 370 million dollars inside the United States and 600 million dollars worldwide, making it one of the top selling films ever.

"Because of his background, because of his deep and personal religious convictions (which he believed to be shared by Gibson) and because of his passion for the project, Ben forewent pursuing other scripts and exclusively devoted the following years of his life to 'The Passion' without requesting or receiving any additional compensation," Fitzgerald's suit says.

He "accepted a salary substantially less than what he would have taken had he known the true budget for the film," is said. Fitzgerald did not set a value on his suit.
Contacted by AFP, Gibson's spokesman Alan Nierob had no immediate reaction.