Syriana slapped with lawsuit

Clooney’s slick oil flick filed against by French screenwriter

The happiest man in Hollywood one month ago might have been Paul Haggis but George Clooney was pushing him all the way.

Having scooped up a statuette after packing on the pork to play CIA agent Bob Barnes in Syriana, the movie’s creators are now facing a day in court after accusations of plagiarism.

Stephanie Vergniault argues that around 15 scenes have been pilfered from her script Oversight, which she claims was inspired by a novel from former company man Robert Baer. Despite Gaghan’s claims that he too used the book as a starting point, Vergniault claims that the scenes copied were her own work.

The claim itself has been filed against film company Warner Bros, Clooney’s production company Section 8 and helmer Stephen Gaghan.

Warner Bros are, unsurprisingly, denying the validity of the claim and are said to be ready to thrash it out in court.

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