Brokeback lawsuit

In the history of stars suing production companies for more money this must go down as… another one. Okay, so that’s cynical and this really is an odd tale.

Randy Quaid is suing Focus Features, producer James Schamus and former Focus president David Linde for $10 million for - and here’s where it gets interesting - allegedly persuading him to “donate” his performance, claiming that the film would be a low-budget art houser.

Quaid agreed to waive his fee and work to scale on the film, in which he played Joe Aguirre, the man who hires Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal’s characters. "Had the defendants' true knowledge and intention been disclosed to Randy Quaid, he would never have agreed to allow defendants to enrich themselves at his expense," the suit continues, adding that the damages amount to at least $10 million. Focus declined to comment - but you’ve got to think that they’ve made enough money to hammer out a settlement.

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.