Mel Gibson Seeks to Seal "Passion" Records
April 2, 2008 by Jane Boursaw
Mel Gibson is being sued by a writer over payment for the The Passion of the Christ screenplay. Now the Aussie actor is seeking to keep financial records for the movie out of the public eye.
The Associated Press reports that Benedict Fitzgerald claimed in his February lawsuit that Gibson misled him into accepting a small payment for writing the script, saying the movie would cost between $4 million to $7 million.
Fitzgerald, who co-wrote the screenplay with Gibson, claims he agreed to “a salary substantially less than what he would have taken had he known the true budget for the film,” which the lawsuit claimed was…
Read on…
…$25 million to $50 million.
In court papers filed Tuesday, attorneys for Gibson and his production company asked the court to seal the movie’s financial records and only allow Fitzgerald’s lawyers access to them. The information offers details on the movie’s domestic and foreign box office receipts, production costs, and distribution expenses.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, claiming fraud, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment.
I dunno…my respect for Mel Gibson took a dive after his 2006 debacle involving racial and sexist slurs. I guess it wouldn’t surprise me if he tried to put one over on Fitzgerald.
What do you think? Is Mel an upstanding guy? Has he redeemed himself after really goofing up in 2006?
Image: The Passion of the Christ, Newmarket Films, 2004
Benedict Fitzgerald’s lawsuit was posted online. The interesting thing about it is that Fitzgerald never actually disclosed his salary! And now Gibson doesn’t want to either. Is this the way Hollywood works? Anyway, in addition to his meager salary, Fitzgerald’s lawsuit says that he received two bonuses of $75,000 each plus 5% of the profits. So he’s not in the poorhouse.Benedict Fitzgerald’s lawsuit was posted online. The interesting thing about it is that Fitzgerald never actually disclosed his salary! And now Gibson doesn’t want to either. Is this the way Hollywood works? Anyway, in addition to his meager salary, Fitzgerald’s lawsuit says that he received two bonuses of $75,000 each plus 5% of the profits. So he’s not in the poorhouse.