JoBlo
10-08-2002, 11:19 PM
Poor Madonnass...it's bad enough that she just tainted her husband's spotless filmography thus far (I saw SWEPT AWAY last night and it was one of the worst experiences that I've had all year), but now actor Vincent D'Onofrio is suing her ass for apparently stealing his idea for the film's remake. Fun times! (got story from Yahoo! Movies (http://movies.yahoo.com/news/va/20021008/103413830600.html))
Judge won't halt Madonna film for actor's lawsuit
"A Los Angeles judge refused Tuesday to halt release this week of the film "Swept Away," starring Madonna ( news - web sites) and directed by her husband, Guy Ritchie ( news), despite last-minute claims by another actor that the project was his idea.
But an attorney for Vincent D'Onofrio, who starred opposite Jennifer Lopez ( news) in "The Cell" said the actor would press forward with his lawsuit against Madonna, Ritchie and Sony Pictures Entertainment over the film.
Though "Swept Away" is a remake of a 1974 Italian movie of the same name, D'Onofrio claims in his Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit that it was his idea to produce it again with Madonna in the leading role.
Representatives for Sony Pictures and Madonna could not be reached for comment.
"They used his idea and they didn't want to compensate him," D'Onofrio's lawyer, Morris Getzels, said after a hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Getzels said D'Onofrio asked Judge David Yaffe to issue a preliminary injunction stopping the Friday release of "Swept Away" unless Madonna, Ritchie and Sony gave him a producer credit. But Yaffe refused.
Getzels said that D'Onofrio was not the first person to sue seeking credit for a remake, citing what he said was a similar case brought against the actors Elizabeth Taylor ( news) and Richard Burton over a film version of "The Taming of the Shrew"
"Almost every newspaper article about 'Swept Away' starts with the question of where did the idea come from to remake this film," Getzels said. "And the idea came from my client."
Getzels said D'Onofrio first approached Lina Wertmuller -- who wrote and directed the original -- about making the romantic comedy again with Madonna as the star, and Wertmuller "got all excited about it."
Madonna, through her representatives, also was "very enthusiastic" about the film, the attorney said. But in the spring of 2001, Getzels said, D'Onofrio learned that Madonna was making the movie without him.
"He hired lawyers and has been trying to persuade Madonna to settle, but they won't do anything for him," he said.
Madonna stars in "Swept Away" as a wealthy U.S. woman who becomes stranded on a Greek island with an Italian fisherman, played by Adriano Giannini, and falls in love. Ritchie is credited as the film's screenwriter and director. Reuters/Variety"
Judge won't halt Madonna film for actor's lawsuit
"A Los Angeles judge refused Tuesday to halt release this week of the film "Swept Away," starring Madonna ( news - web sites) and directed by her husband, Guy Ritchie ( news), despite last-minute claims by another actor that the project was his idea.
But an attorney for Vincent D'Onofrio, who starred opposite Jennifer Lopez ( news) in "The Cell" said the actor would press forward with his lawsuit against Madonna, Ritchie and Sony Pictures Entertainment over the film.
Though "Swept Away" is a remake of a 1974 Italian movie of the same name, D'Onofrio claims in his Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit that it was his idea to produce it again with Madonna in the leading role.
Representatives for Sony Pictures and Madonna could not be reached for comment.
"They used his idea and they didn't want to compensate him," D'Onofrio's lawyer, Morris Getzels, said after a hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Getzels said D'Onofrio asked Judge David Yaffe to issue a preliminary injunction stopping the Friday release of "Swept Away" unless Madonna, Ritchie and Sony gave him a producer credit. But Yaffe refused.
Getzels said that D'Onofrio was not the first person to sue seeking credit for a remake, citing what he said was a similar case brought against the actors Elizabeth Taylor ( news) and Richard Burton over a film version of "The Taming of the Shrew"
"Almost every newspaper article about 'Swept Away' starts with the question of where did the idea come from to remake this film," Getzels said. "And the idea came from my client."
Getzels said D'Onofrio first approached Lina Wertmuller -- who wrote and directed the original -- about making the romantic comedy again with Madonna as the star, and Wertmuller "got all excited about it."
Madonna, through her representatives, also was "very enthusiastic" about the film, the attorney said. But in the spring of 2001, Getzels said, D'Onofrio learned that Madonna was making the movie without him.
"He hired lawyers and has been trying to persuade Madonna to settle, but they won't do anything for him," he said.
Madonna stars in "Swept Away" as a wealthy U.S. woman who becomes stranded on a Greek island with an Italian fisherman, played by Adriano Giannini, and falls in love. Ritchie is credited as the film's screenwriter and director. Reuters/Variety"