Bosses at the movie studio behind The Godfather films have launched legal action against the estate of the story's creator after one of his heirs authorised a new series of books about the mafia family.
Executives at Paramount Pictures filed suit at Manhattan Federal Court in New York on 17 February against the son of Mario Puzo, who wrote the bestselling 1969 book on which the film franchise was based.
In the lawsuit, studio bosses claim they had an agreement with Puzo's heirs in 2002 that they would only release one sequel to the original novel.
It is alleged that despite the agreement, the family published a second sequel and is planning a third release later this year.
The lawsuit states, "Far from properly honouring the legacy of The Godfather, the unauthorized The Godfather's Revenge tarnished it, and in the process, also misled consumers in connection with advertising, marketing, and promotional material related to the first and second sequel novels."
Puzo, who died in 1999, also co-wrote the screenplays for the three Godfather films and won two Oscars for his work.
WENN.com