Exorcist lawsuit 'to begin'

The Exorcist was originally released in 1973

A breach of contract lawsuit surrounding the re-release of The Exorcist is set to begin on Tuesday.

The jury selection procedure will get under way at Los Angeles Superior Court in the case brought by writer William Blatty and director William Friedkin against the Warner Bros studio, trade paper the Hollywood Reporter says.

Mr Blatty and Mr Friedkin claim breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty over The Exorcist - The Version You've Never Seen, which was released in September 2000.

It claims Warner Bros undervalued the film when it sold the rights to its sister TV companies as part of wider packages - meaning the two men lost out on revenues from their work.

The suit says Warner Bros "has tried, in every possible way, to divert revenues from plaintiffs, to deprive them of the profit shares they were promised and to keep for themselves the economic benefits that should have accrued to plaintiffs".

But Warner Bros has called the allegations "ludicrous".

Mr Blatty wrote the original book on which his screenplay was based, for which he won an Oscar in 1973.

He also co-produced the film, which received a best picture nomination and a best director nomination for Mr Friedkin.