Was multiple-Oscar nominated Benjamin Button originally written years ago by an Italian office worker? Legal papers filed yesterday say that that's the (curious) case, and now we're waiting for a Judge to weigh in.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Italian postal worker Adriana Pichini has filed papers that David Fincher's successful Brad Pitt vehicle - "inspired by" but not based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1921 short story of the same name, and written by Eric Roth - is actually based upon "Il ritorno di Arthur all'innocenza," an unpublished short story she wrote in 1994 that was sent to US publishers. Pichini's lawyer, Gianni Massaro, said that he's unsure at this point if the author will seek financial damages from Fincher, Roth, and the movie's producers:
At this point it's still a matter of principle... What happens next will depend on what the judge rules.
Currently, the case rests with a judge who will watch the movie and read the short story before deciding whether there are enough similarities to allow a court case to move forward. The movie has not been released in Italy yet - it's due out on February 13th - but there is no set date for the judge's ruling.
Curious case against 'Button' in Italy [Hollywood Reporter]