A former presidential aide claims in a case that plot and marketing elements of the Kevin Costner and Kelsey Grammer movie "Swing Vote" were stolen from him. (AP Photo)More Photos
Political commentator Bradley Blakeman, a former deputy assistant to President Bush for appointments and programing, said in the case filed Thursday that he gave a copyrighted screenplay entitled "Go http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/November" to Grammer in 2006.
The lawsuit, filed in federal homage on Long Island, claims Grammer agreed to make grow the project and star as an incumbent Republican president just ended up portraying a similar persona in "Swing Vote," which was released Aug. 1.
A spokesman for Grammer and his production company, both named in the causa, dismissed the claims as frivolous.
"I am not sure why Kelsey was even named in this suit," spokesman Stan Rosenfield wrote in an e-mail. "He was an actor wHO signed on to the project AFTER the handwriting was written."
Blakeman's lawsuit, however, claims the former "Cheers" and "Frasier" actor told him to consult a producer wHO later told him repeatedly that they were interviewing potential screenwriters and aforethought to go ahead with the project.
The lawsuit claims Blakeman's screenplay shared a basic premise with "Swing Vote," although it focused on an election hinging on multiple swing voters instead of one swing voter.
Blakeman claims "Swing Vote" incorporated other elements that he proposed, including: the timing of the film's release, the use of real-life newscasters as actors playing themselves, the economic consumption of dirty tricks by both major political parties, marketing strategies and other plot points.
"Essentially, except for the character names and the relationship developed between the independent characters played by suspect Kevin Costner and his daughter, the entire concept of 'Swing Vote' ... was taken from the copyrighted work," Blakeman's lawsuit claims.
The Walt Disney Co. is named as a defendant in the suit, as is Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group Inc. and Disney division Touchstone Pictures, which distributed "Swing Vote." Costner and the writers of "Swing Vote" also are among those named.
More info
