Will Smith has scored a court victory over his science-fiction 2019 flick, “Gemini Man.”
A federal judge dismissed all claims against the 56-year-old actor in a lawsuit filed by author Kissinger Sibanda, according to court documents filed in late January, which were obtained by In Touch last week. However, the lawsuit will proceed against other defendants, including Skydance Productions, Gemini Pictures, and Paramount Pictures.
Sibanda initially sued for $1.7 million, alleging the movie flop plagiarized his 2011 sci-fi novel, “The Return to Gibraltar.”
“The book details an African-American who is cloned and used in a time-traveling program without his permission,” he explained. He claimed ‘Gemini Man’s’ development, which began in 1997, gained traction after his book’s release.
In his filing, Sibanda alleged he shared his book with Will’s stunt double in 2012.
“[He] does not recall the actual name of the stunt double … but limited discovery can produce the name given that defendants have all the names of Will Smith’s stunt doubles on file,” his suit stated.
He also accused the studios of stealing “themes, plots, characterizations, context, and cultural subtexts” from his work.
“The publication of ‘The Return to Gibraltar’ provided a free meal for the defendants,” he wrote.
Smith and the other defendants argued Sibanda’s claims had already been dismissed in a prior lawsuit due to his failure to register the copyright before suing. Despite refiling, the judge ruled against him again, officially clearing Smith from the case last month.
