James Franco Allegedly Screwed Over Screenwriter On ‘Disaster Artist’

James Franco Allegedly Screwed Over Screenwriter On ‘Disaster Artist’

James Franco is having a rough couple of months. After it looked like things were going his way with the release of The Disaster Artist, Franco’s involvement in the #MeToo movement backfired and he’s been out of the spotlight ever since.

On Wednesday, he was sued by Ryan Moody, who claims he was the original writer of the Oscar-nominated The Disaster Artist.

Moody states that he was tricked into selling the screenplay for $5,000, believing that he would receive an associate producer credit. Furthermore, he was led to think that Rabbit Bandini Productions (Franco’s company) and Point Grey Pictures (Seth Rogen’s company) would produce Moody’s original screenplay On the Bus with a budget similar to that of The Disaster Artist ($5-$10 million). Moody was later told he would have a $50,000 budget for On the Bus.

The Disaster Artist is based on the 2013 book written by The Room star Greg Sestero. However, the movie has one big difference, which is a part Moody wrote.

Spoiler alert: At the end of the film, Tommy Wiseau leaves the theater, only to return when he hears the audience laughing and applauding.

This is not in the book.

If Moody did indeed write that scene, he would seem to have a pretty good case. Moody is seeking to rescind the purchase agreement and to enforce an unsigned agreement where Moody would receive the WGA minimum. The WGA minimum for a purchased script, for a film with a budget of more than $5 million, is $133,739. Moody is also seeking damages and attorney’s fees.

The Disaster Artist is nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Sunday’s Oscars. Franco won the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his portrayal of Wiseau in the film.

With the last two months Franco has had, Moody might want to get to work on The Disaster Artist 2.

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