Awesome: Uwe Boll Sues Billy Zane

Uwe Boll, a favorite target of anyone with a movie website, has made more news this year than ever. He's never been able to spin his silly headlines into ticket sales for his movies - his latest, In the Name of the King, was a total failure, only generating $4 million on a $60 million budget - but people sure seem to know his name and revel in his most recent controversy. Of course, how a movie co-starring Burt Reynolds as a character named King Konreid was a flop is beyond me.

Well now, Uwe Boll is taking a suggestion from Huey Lewis and the News. He's going back in time. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Boll has sued actor Billy Zane in Los Angeles Superior Court over roughly three-quarters-of-a-million dollars in revenues from Bloodrayne.

In the court documents, Boll says that Zane suggested Romar Entertainment handle the film's distribution, and further claims that Zane and Romar head James Schramm promised to open the director's magnum opus in 2,000 theaters. The only movie to star Meat Loaf, Michael Pare, and Ben Kingsley, Bloodrayne opened in about half that many theaters, and Boll was allegedly persuaded to kick in an additional $10 million for marketing based on the condition that the film would open in wider release.

Well, gee, I hope everything works out. As annoying as Uwe Boll is, at least he tries to be entertaining, I think. Billy Zane is an absolute toolbox. But I do love the classic Hollywood story about him, courtesy of The Guardian:

"Zane got a doorman fired at LA's Standard hotel after the man tried to help some autograph hunters. 'How dare you?' wailed the actor. 'I was in the biggest movie of all time!' To which the doorman shot back pricelessly, 'Oh, you mean The Phantom?' - referring to Zane's abysmal 1998 superhero flop. He was unemployed in minutes."

It's well documented that Uwe Boll went on a rampage of boxing critics of his films over the past couple years. I sure hope he can get Billy Zane in the ring. There would be no losers, at least among the people watching the mutual carnage.