Legal Troubles for Angelina Jolie
Posted 12.06.11 by reelz
Only a few weeks to go until her directorial debut with In the Land of Blood and Honey and Angelina Jolie has found herself in a legal quandary. A Croatian journalist named James Braddock has claimed that Jolie's movie infringes upon the copyright he has on his book, The Soul Shattering. The upcoming movie is a love story, which takes place during the Bosnian civil war in the early 1990's and Braddock's book has what he claims are unquestionable similarities.
Jolie may be a world traveler and a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, but realistically, what are the chances she has ever read, let alone laid eyes on this book? According to Braddock, the answer lies in one of the movie's producers: Edin Sarkic. Braddock claims that he was in Sarajevo, Bosnia the same time as Sarkic and was approached by him regarding his book. Allegedly, Sarkic discussed the development of the book, and possibly adapting it to a screenplay. Braddock also claimed they met three more times in 2008, but then heard of Jolie's film on his own and now feels he is owed statutory damages plus an injunction against the film's release.
It is now up to a judge whether or not the evidence against Jolie and Sarkic —as well as GK Films, FilmDistrict, and Scout Film — is legitimate and directly violates Braddock's copyright. Either way the legal mess will likely prove a boon to both ticket and book sales. In the Land of Blood and Honey is scheduled for release on December 23rd.