Puzo Son Sues Over The Godfather Game

The son of THE GODFATHER author MARIO PUZO has filed a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures bosses for breach of contract over the popular video game of the same name.

Anthony Puzo, the writer's son and executor of his father's estate, claims the family is owed more than $1 million (GBP500,000) in unpaid revenue for The Godfather game, which is based on the book and blockbuster film.

Legal papers filed at Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday (18Jun08) state that Mario Puzo entered an agreement with Paramount executives in 1992, in which he was to receive a "significant share in the revenue of audio-visual products... embodying elements of the Godfather pictures".

Puzo died in 1999, aged 76, but his son is now fighting the studio executives for a share of the profits from the game, which was released on Sony's Playstation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 in 2006.

Anthony goes on to claim that "despite the vast wealth Puzo created for Paramount, it has refused to pay his children their agreed share of the revenue from that audio-visual product".

Anthony is seeking in excess of $1 million in compensation and interest, and legal costs, reports website TMZ.com.

The Godfather movie, which was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, won three Oscars in 1973 - Best Actor for Marlon Brando; Best Picture and Best Writing for Puzo and Coppola.