Writer aims to stop 'Death' release

August 19, 2008 Stone claims in a copyright infringement lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles federal court that the upcoming Universal thriller is based on a script he pitched to the film's producer-director Paul W.S. Anderson and producer Jeremy Bolt. Stone claims that after the producers passed, Bolt made and kept a copy of his screenplay, titled "Joust," to use as a "blueprint" for Anderson's revision of the script for "Death Race." While "Death Race" is purported to be a remake of the 1975 film, "Death Race 2000," Stone contends in his lawsuit that it actually is based on "Joust" and that there are at least 39 elements in the soon-to-be released film that mirror his screenplay.

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