Scary codger sues “Da Vinci Code” author

Davinci code author Dan Brown side by side with a picture of a grizzly-looking Richard Leigh with the caption: Author gets by on looks and stolen ideas
“The Da Vinci Code” was interesting and all, but we thought the writing was piss poor. That’s why it’s not surprising that Dan Brown is not only a lousy writer, he’s also incapable of coming up with his own ideas. At least that’s what co-authors of the 1982 book “The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail” are claiming.

For his part, Brown admitted today to reading the book as part of the research for the “Da Vinci Code,” but called the plaguarism charge “completely fanciful.”:

But he said “The Holy Blood And The Holy Grail” was just one of many he had studied and from where he took the idea that Jesus married Mary Magdalene, had children who survived and married into a line of French kings and that the bloodline survives until the present day.

That idea is part of the central theme of the earlier book, whose co-authors Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh are suing Random House, the publisher of both books.

Admitting to reading the book but saying you didn’t copy it is a weak argument. Brown might have changed enough to make it seem like he had some original ideas, but he still cheated.

Unfortunately Brown may win the case on sheer looks alone. “The Holy Blood And The Holy Grail” co-author Richard Leigh is pictured above. [via]

The co-authors of “The Holy Blood” are seeking an injuction to insure that their material is no longer used. If the case is sucessful, the scheduled May 19th of “DaVinci Code” film starring Tom Hanks and Ian McKellen could be delayed.

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