14 DAY TRIAL // When “The Expendables” came out in 2010, many expected it to fail miserably. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a major hit with audiences and even with some critics – but now, screenwriter Marcus Webb is saying he deserves all the credit.
In documents filed in court the other day, Webb argues that Stallone stole his idea for the script to “The Expendables.”
Fans must already know that the film listed Sly as the main star, but also as a screenwriter and director. It's in his second capacity that he did wrong by Webb, Webb says, as reported by AceShowbiz.
“In the documents, Webb claimed that the plot for 'The Expendables' is 'strikingly similar and in some places identical' to his screenplay titled 'The Cordoba Caper',” the e-zine writes.
Webb's screenplay also told the story of a group of mercenaries who reassemble again for their biggest challenge yet. The action is set in Latin America as well.
The lawsuit claims Stallone shamelessly stole several elements from the original script, including the story, action scenes and locations.
“There can be no dispute that Stallone and/or [David] Callaham [Stalone's co-writer] had access to and copied protectable elements of the screenplay,” the lawsuit reads.
Furthermore, “Webb claimed that Stallone's star-studded action pic stole the opening sequence from his works, including 'a hostage rescue at sea, off a foreign coast, which has nothing to do with the main plot',” says AceShowbiz.
One of the villainous characters in the blockbuster was also lifted right off Webb's original script.
Reps for Stallone and the movie studio behind “The Expendables” have either refused to answer calls for comment or said they know nothing of a lawsuit just yet.
Webb is probably asking for damages for the alleged copyright infringement, though no one knows yet what these might be. Still, he doesn't say why he waited over a year to come out with this claim.