James Franco settles lawsuit with former student over 'The Disaster Artist'
James Franco has settled a lawsuit with one of his former film students, who said that he had drafted several early drafts of his movie The Disaster Artist.
According to Variety, Ryan Moody filed his suit in March last year, against Franco’s company Rabbit Bandini Productions and Point Grey Pictures, run by Seth Rogen, which co-produced the film.
Moody, who met Franco when he was a student at the actor’s film class at UCLA, said that he was asked to adapt the book about the famously disastrous making of the movie The Room, directed, written by and starring Tommy Wiseau.
However, Moody added that, after working full-time on the project for four months, Point Grey Pictures forced him off the project in favour of more established writers, and made him sign away the rights to his work for only $5000 (around £3890).
He claims he was told that if he didn’t do so, he would never work with either Rogen or Franco again, and was promised work on another project called On The Bus instead.
But the film never got off the ground.
Moody says he was also offered an associate producer credit on The Disaster Artist, but found when it was released, it was not there.
Lawyers for the defendants said that he was not misled into signing the contract, and and sought to have the lawsuit dismissed.
Moody’s lawyer Brian Grossman told Variety yesterday: “The lawsuit has been resolved.”
He did not disclose the terms of the settlement.
The movie, a modest financial success, was critically acclaimed, winning James Franco a slew of international awards and a Golden Globe.
It also won a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination at the Oscars.
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