Categories: News

James Cameron Sued For Stealing 'Avatar' Idea

When James Cameron's Avatar became the highest-grossing film ever made — surpassing another film by Cameron you may have heard of, Titanic — many people were celebrating Cameron's 3D rescue of the film industry's sinking ship. One man, however, was stewing with anger, and apparently making plans to take legal action, The Hollywood Reporter reports.

Eric Ryder, a self-professed sci-fi geek who once worked for Cameron, has filed a lawsuit against the megawat director, claiming he stole the idea for a movie about a utopian planet and a man sent by a corporation to live and learn among them. The complaint, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court Thursday, charges Cameron and his company Lightstorm Entertainment with developing Ryder's treatment for a sci-fi tale he wrote in 1999 called K.R.Z. 2068.

The suit describes the film as being "about a corporation's colonization and plundering of a distant moon's lush and wondrous natural setting, the corporation's spy sent to crush an insurrection on the distant moon among anthropomorphic, organically created being populated that moon, and the spy's remote sensing experiences with the beings, emotional attachment to one of them in particular and eventual spiritual transformation into a leader of the lunar beings' revolt against the corporation's mining practices."

The suit also says that Ryder did more than just come up with the idea, he created 3-D visual representations, imagery, character and scene development, and added some touches to the screenplay.

Ryder, who says he has been trying to get Cameron and Lightstorm to compensate him for his contribution but with no luck, now sees himself as forced to take legal action. His suit makes allegations of breach of implied contract, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, interntional interference with prospective economic advantage and negligent interference with prospective advantage.

uInterview

View Comments

  • That sucks! And this is a nightmare for a writer. He came up with this amazing idea - and it was 'stolen' by the almighty Cameron, well, poor guy. I hope he gets his due share of credit at least (some money as well) if his idea was used.

Recent Posts

Washington State GOP Backs Repeal Of ‘Defective’ 17th Amendment To The U.S. Constitution Allowing For Direct Election Of Senators

The resolution approved at the Washington State GOP convention states that "the Founding Fathers came…

7 hours ago

Trump Says Jimmy Carter’s Presidency Was ‘Brilliant’ Compared Joe Biden’s

"Biden is the worst president in the history of our country," Trump said. He went…

9 hours ago

GOP Rep. Mike Collins Praises Ole Miss Counter-Protesters Who Taunted Black Pro-Palestinian Activist

Viewers criticized the white students and Collins' stance on the situation, calling him out for…

11 hours ago

‘The Heart of Rock and Roll’ Is A Jukebox Musical That Hits the Right Notes On Broadway

In addition to the iconic 'The Power of Love,' the musical features a plethora of…

13 hours ago

Ex-Trump Deputy Press Sec. Sarah Matthews Says She Won’t Vote For Trump Because He Will Not ‘Uphold The Constitution’

"With Donald Trump, you have a candidate who tried to overturn the last election, who…

14 hours ago

VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Two Couples Get Engaged At Andrés Cepeda Concert In New York City

Stirred by the romantic music, one man stepped forward to pop the question to his…

14 hours ago