LOS ANGELES — A screenwriter has sued Mel Gibson and his production company, claiming he was misled into accepting a small payment for writing “The Passion of the Christ” and was refused extra money when the film became a blockbuster.
Benedict Fitzgerald claims Gibson told him the movie would cost $4 million to $7 million, according to the lawsuit filed Monday in Superior Court. Fitzgerald also alleged Gibson promised that he wouldn’t receive any money from the film and that any profit would be distributed to people who worked on it.
Fitzgerald shared screenwriting credits with actor-director Gibson, 52. The lawsuit says the film had an estimated budget of $25 million to $50 million. The 2004 movie went on to gross several hundred million dollars.
