Reese Witherspoon Sued: Writer Claims 'Gone Girl' Producer Stole Her Story
Award-winning actress and "Gone Girl" producer Reese Witherspoon has a lawsuit in her hands. The 2014 blockbuster movie, which starred Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, was allegedly a stolen story from writer Leslie Weller.
Apart from Witherspoon, Weller named director David Fincher and writer Gillian Flynn in her lawsuit. Flynn actually adapted the movie's screenplay from the book she published in 2012, which became a New York Times bestseller.
Weller, however, claimed that she wrote a similar story in 2005 as a screenplay called "Out of the Blue." She submitted her script to a consultant, which made her story accessible for others to steal.
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"Gone Girl" centered on a wife (Pike) who went missing. Her husband (Affleck) became the primary suspect but it turned out that the wife was actually a psychopath who wanted to frame her husband.
Weller said her screenplay also featured a twist about the wife's real intentions and state of mind. The writer, however, did not share how much damages she's seeking from the lawsuit against Witherspoon, Fincher, and Flynn.
It's also unclear why Weller filed her suit this late when it's been years since the release of both book and movie versions of "Gone Girl." None of the respondents made any statements about Weller's claims as of press time.
Witherspoon took a gamble in putting "Gone Girl" on the big screen. It was the first movie venture for Witherspoon's newly-established production outfit Pacific Standard with her business partners
The actress was supposed to play the wife's role and produce the movie at the same time, but Fincher convinced her to stay in the background as the executive. His suggestion worked for the actress because "Gone Girl" established Witherspoon's status as a Hollywood powerhouse when it became a blockbuster.
Witherspoon eventually branched out to create the firm Hello Sunshine, which produced the HBO hit series "Big Little Lies." The company has a few high-profile projects in line for 2018, including the TV series starring Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston on Apple TV.
