Screenwriter Stephanie Vergniault is suing the producers of Syriana for plagiarism.

Vergniault says Warner Bros, production company Section Eight and director Stephen Gaghan plagiarised at least fifteen scenes from a script she had written between 1997 and 2003.

The political thriller looks at the state of the oil industry, as well as those within and affected by it. Gaghan says it is based on Robert Baer's See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism, although he admitted he had veered from the storyline.

Vergniault is asking for £1.4m in damages. Warner Bros stated: "[The case is] without merit. We will defend our position in court."