‘Sahara’ Case Goes To Jury

Lawsuits between author Clive Cussler and Crusader Entertainment, owned by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz, have gone to a Los Angeles jury after three months’ worth of testimony and closing arguments May 2nd.

Cussler claims Crusader, now doing business as Bristol Bay Productions, reneged on a contract that granted the action/adventure author creative control over the screenplay of "Sahara," considered to be a monumental flop and starring Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz.

Crusader attorney Marvin Putnam argued that the production company was defrauded by Cussler and his agent, Peter Lampack, before agreeing to make the film. Putnam said Anschutz paid $10 million to adapt Cussler’s book "Sahara" into the film of the same name because he believed the author had sold 100 million books. An audit showed that Cussler had sold closer to 40 million books.

"Without that fraud … we wouldn’t have had the contract," Putnam said of the "Sahara" deal. "This deal would never have happened." Crusader also charges that Cussler was uncooperative during the filmmaking process and bad-mouthed the movie before it was released.

The legal dustup between Cussler and Crusader involves dueling lawsuits over the 2005 film, which grossed only $68 million in the U.S.

Crusader’s attorneys claim it lost more than $80 million.

Cussler’s attorney, Bert Fields, argued that jurors should examine the contract between the parties in which Cussler was given creative control and not be fooled by "sideshows and smokescreens."

Putnam argued "Sahara" wasn’t a box office bomb and earned more than $200 million. He said more than 1,000 people worked on the movie and all were paid, including Cussler, but it was Crusader that took a loss.

"In fact, everyone who made money went on to new jobs, except for Crusader," he said.

The three-month trial has featured testimony from producers, screenwriters, lawyers. Cussler testified, and Anschutz provided video depositions.