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Frank Dux v.
Jean Claude Van Damme
"Quest" screenwriter says movie was derivative of plaintiff's unmade movie
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 27 (Court TV) -- Although he could not fully explain Jean-Claude Van Damme's production duties on "The Quest," screenwriter Sheldon Lettich testified that the movie was derived from plaintiff Frank Dux's unmade movie, "The Kumite."
Dux says Van Damme failed to live up to an oral agreement to pay him 2.5 percent of the gross revenue from "The Kumite." Dux also signed a separate deal to write the script for "The Kumite," but the movie was never made because its production company went bankrupt. When Van Damme subsequently starred in a similar movie, "The Quest," Dux did not receive the screenwriting credits and decided to sue.
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Frank Dux, who collaborated on "Bloodsport," believes he deserves a writing credit for "The Quest."
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Lettich, an uncredited screenwriter on "The Quest," said that Van Damme initially approached him about writing "The Kumite." But, Lettich said, he refused the job because he did not want to work with producer Moshe Diamont. Lettich said he recommended Dux because of his imagination and knowledge of martial arts.
According to Lettich, Van Damme was a producer on "The Quest," but he could not explain the extent his duties. He also said that he never lied to Dux about "The Quest" being a derivative of "The Kumite." Lettich said that oral agreements in films were not unusual, and it seemed to him that Dux and Van Damme had an understanding.
Dux's contract lawyer, Michael Frankel, returned to the stand to deny insinuations that the plaintiff's separate contract for "The Kumite" with Epic Productions was meant to fulfill Van Damme's alleged promises. Frankel insisted that the oral agreement with Van Damme and Dux's written contract were separate.
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Jean Claude Van Damme in "The Quest," which he claims was not based on Dux's script for "The Kumite."
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Using a blown-up replica of a letter Frankel wrote to the producers of "The Quest" and to Van Damme's agents, defense attorney Martin Singer focused on Frankel's request that someone make good on Van Damme's "moral and inducing promise" to Dux. Singer pointed out that Frankel never mentioned the alleged oral agreement between Dux and Van Damme. Perhaps, he said, because it did not exist. According to Singer, the production company, not Van Damme, was responsible for paying Dux.
Frank Dux came to the stand briefly and said that he met Van Damme while working on "Bloodsport," a movie based on Dux's life. Dux said he wanted to have Van Damme in the movie because the actor reminded him of himself. The plaintiff will return to the stand on Wednesday for more extensive testimony.
Reported by Court TV's Bryan Lavietes
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