Washington: James Cameron stole the story of his mega blockbuster ‘Avatar’ from a science fiction nerd who once worked with the filmmaker’s production company, a new lawsuit has claimed.
Eric Ryder is suing the Canadian film director insisting that he came up with a movie called ‘KRZ 2068’ back in 1997, which was an environmentally themed 3D epic about a corporation’s colonization and plundering of a distant moon’s lush and wondrous natural setting.
Ryder claimed that the movie also involved self-contained robotic exterior suits, which house a single human operator, just like in ‘Avatar,’ TMZ.com reported.
According to the suit filed in L.A. County Superior Court, Ryder claims his representatives pitched the movie idea to Cameron’s production company back in 1999 and they had multiple serious meetings with high-ranking executives about the development of the project.
But in 2002, the company officially shut down the project telling him that no one would watch an environmentally themed feature length science fiction movie.
So when ‘Avatar’ hit theatres in 2009 and made tons of money Ryder was furious.
In his suit, Ryder alleges he complained to Cameron’s people in 2009 but they finally got back to him earlier this year and told him that the 57-year-old filmmaker had written the story before 1999.
Ryder said Cameron’s people are lying claiming that there are way too many similarities between the two projects including one of the characters played by Sigourney Weaver.
ANI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.