Another Suit Filed in ‘Baron Munchausen’ War

Producer Allan A. Buckhantz has sued Columbia Pictures and the makers of “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen” for $300 million, claiming that the material for the upcoming film was stolen by them from a German-made film to which he holds the rights.

The suit, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, accuses Columbia of unfair competition and breach of an implied contract, among other charges.

In addition to money damages, Buckhantz is seeking a court injunction to prevent Columbia from using the title “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen” or “any other confusingly similar title.”

A Columbia spokesman declined comment on the suit, saying that the studio cannot discuss pending legal matters. However, in the past, the film’s creators have said their script is based on available historical material, not on “Baron Muenchhausen,” a German film made during World War II. Buckhantz acquired the rights to the film in 1968.

The screenplay for “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen,” which Columbia plans to release in the States at Christmas, lists Charles McKeown and Terry Gilliam, the film’s director, as its authors. McKeown and Gilliam are named as defendants in Buckhantz’s suit, as are producers Jake Eberts and Thomas Schuhly.

Buckhantz said that he has been planning to remake “Baron Muenchhausen,” one of several films based on the collected tales of an 18th-Century German adventurer, for 20 years. He contends in his suit that he submitted a screenplay and 3,000 story boards to Columbia Pictures in 1984 in an effort to seek financing for the film.

“Columbia failed to respond to (the) submission and refused, after demand, to return (it),” Buckhantz charges in his complaint.

Buckhantz’s suit is the latest in a series of legal actions from both sides arising out of his accusations about the origins of Columbia’s film. His suit was filed as a cross-complaint to a suit that Columbia filed against Buckhantz earlier this year, accusing the producer of harassment and seeking $47,000 in damages.