Matrix Sequels: Wachowskis Sued for $300 Million for Allegedly Stealing Idea

Thomas Althouse claims the films were "based and formulated in substantial part" upon his screenplay

By Claudia Rosenbaum, Alyssa Toomey Mar 05, 2013 12:25 AMTags
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Forget the dissatisfied fans, this writer has some major beef with the Matrix sequels. 

Andy and Lana Wachowski are being sued for $300 million by a writer who claims they stole his idea for the scripts for The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolution.

Hawaiian-based writer Thomas Althouse filed a lawsuit against the screenwriting siblings, along with Joel Silver and Warner Bros., in Federal Court for copyright infringement. He is representing himself in the case. 

According to the complaint, Althouse says he wrote a screenplay titled The Immortals, which was registered with the Writers Guild of America in 1993 and copyrighted with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1996. 

Althouse claims he subsequently submitted his screenplay to Warner Bros. through his attorney in 1993, and at the time, he says Warner Bros. acknowledged receipt of his play.

Although the Matrix sequels were both released in 2003, Althouse says he didn't see the films until 2010, and it was then that he began investigating the similarities.

Althouse is now claiming those films were "based and formulated in substantial part" upon his screenplay, and he accused all defendants of willfully infringing on his copyright for purposes of commercial advantage.

Althouse also outlines the similarities between The Immortals and the two Matrix sequels in the suit. 

He claims he wrote about "enhancers" in the back of the neck for those in the immortals program that allow them to connect and interact in a virtual world, which is similar to how humans plug into the Matrix. He also says his main character, Jim, bears a striking similarity to The Matrix's Neo, as both characters are champions for the free people. 

Warner Bros. has not responded to E! News' request for comment.