Ozark co-creator sued over writing credit on new Liam Neeson film

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

First-time screenwriter and attorney Nick May has sued Mark Williams, co-creator of the hit Netflix series Ozark, over Williams' writing credit on the upcoming Liam Neeson film, Blacklight. 

According to "Variety", the suit alleges that while Williams made adjustments to the script's dialogue and time period, the majority of of the screenplay that was written by May remains intact in the film's final shooting script. May alleges that Williams has taken sole "screenplay by" and "written by" credit on Blacklight and has only left May with a shared "story by" credit. If May receives his "screenplay by" credit, the writer is contractually entitled to 3% of the film's net profits.

The complaint goes to say that the altered credit is part of a "common Hollywood tale of established players stealing credit and money from creative newcomers." The complaint also points out that May is "not the typical mark" because of his extensive legal career as a consumer protection attorney. This essentially makes him more than capable of comprehending and enforcing his contractual rights. As of this writing, Williams has not commented on the allegations.

Williams is best known for co-creating Ozark but he has also directed and produced a plethora of action-thriller films beginning with 2016's A Family Man. Williams has also previously worked with Liam Neeson in 2020's Honest Thief which braved the limited amount of movie theaters that were open during the pandemic back in October.

Blacklight is currently in production and features Neeson as a fixer with the FBI who helps their undercover agents out of dangerous situations. Sounds like a project that has a lot of action and intrigue that will take place on screen but this screenwriting debacle over the film is its own pretty interesting plot twist.