MOVIES - Aug. 10, 1988

Comedian Jay Leno and his Big Dog Productions company have filed a $3-million L.A. Superior Court suit against De Laurentiis Entertainment Group and others for failure to release his film debut, “Collision Course.” Leno said in the suit that De Laurentiis’ failure to release the movie after Leno had plugged it on national TV, including “The Tonight Show,” resulted in a “loss of confidence and credibility with the television viewing audience upon whom Leno is reliant.” The suit also claims that Leno was to receive more than $1 million for each of two more De Laurentiis films that were to have been made. “Apparently it (the suit) was in the press before we even heard about it, because we haven’t been served yet,” said Mark Baron, executive vice president of DEG worldwide marketing.