'Passion' writer sues Mel Gibson

The co-writer of The Passion of the Christ has sued Mel Gibson for deceiving him over the film's scale.

Benedict Fitzgerald has claimed that he was told the movie would be a low-budget affair and was therefore willing to take a lower wage and smaller cut of the profits.

Fitzgerald's lawsuit said that Gibson engaged in a "chronic and conspiratorial pattern of deceit".

The Passion of the Christ ended up with a budget close to $30 million and took an estimated $370 million domestically.

Fitzgerald argues that he "accepted a salary substantially less than what he would have taken had he known the true budget for the film".

The lawsuit adds: "Because of his background, because of his deep and personal religious convictions (which he believed to be shared by Gibson) and because of his passion for the project, Ben forewent pursuing other scripts and exclusively devoted the following years of his life to The Passion without requesting or receiving any additional compensation.

"Gibson preyed monetarily on Ben, taking advantage of his unbridled enthusiasm for the project and with full cognizance of Ben's fundamental personal and spiritual beliefs."

A legal representative for Gibson's Icon Productions told People magazine that Fitzgerald was "handsomely compensated" for his work on the project and that the lawsuit was "utterly baseless".