While Sony executives watch their surprise hit “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” near the $100 million mark, apparent legal maneuvering over rights to the film’s story threatens to smear the glowing success story of an unlikely box office hero. Indiewire had the story up first, and the schadenfreude over what Defamer is calling Blartgate is now in full swing.
The Kevin James project already had dealings with Alfred Thomas Catalfo, a screenwriter who wrote and registered a script with an almost identical plot, "Mall Cop," during shooting last summer, according to a member of the crew.
Now that the film is a hit, Catalfo confirmed on Wednesday that there is a "developing legal situation" anew. He said he submitted his script in 2002 and on one other occasion to Happy Madison, Adam Sandler’s production company, which made “Paul Blart.”
Catalfo's "Mall Cop" has a plot very close to Sony’s lightweight hit comedy: a security guard -- Art Stover, rather than Paul Blart -- with low self-esteem and a beer belly helps save a mall from bank robbers.
“Paul Blart” surprised everyone at the studio by taking in more than $84 million at the box office after only three weekends in theaters.
There are a number of other striking similarities between Catalfo’s script and “Paul Blart: Mall Cop.” Both scripts have scenes that involve robots and scenes that take place in a Rainforest Café as well as a Victoria’s Secret store.
Catalfo, who is a lawyer, declined to give details about what he called a “developing legal situation.” His script, registered with the Writers Guild in 2000 and entitled “Mall Cop,” went on to become a winner or finalist in 12 screenwriting competitions.
“Paul Blart” was written by Kevin James and Nick Bakay.
Catalfo’s “Mall Cop” screenplay is posted in its entirety on his web site.
The writer described his “Mall Cop”: “It’s about a robbery at the mall in which hostages are taken and the mall cop, through his knowledge of this mall, has to save the day. It’s a hostage situation with police outside,” he explained. Catalfo practices personal injury and criminal law in New Hampshire and has been writing screenplays since the early 1990s.
Hollywood is no stranger to dueling screenplays emerging at the same time through separate channels. Often they are not related but appear coincidentally at about the same time – notably “Deep Impact” and “Armageddon,” and “Tombstone” and “Wyatt Earp.”
In fact, the upcoming Seth Rogen comedy “Observe and Report” - set to debut in March at the South by Southwest Festival – also features a mall cop.
But the number of similarities between Catalfo’s “Mall Cop” and “Paul Blart” are remarkable, especially considering Catalfo says he submitted his work to Happy Madison.
“At this time I can’t comment on any legal matters and I’m not making any claims or accusations about whether the script was stolen,” he said. “My script ‘Mall Cop’ was submitted directly to Happy Madison on at least two occasions, the earliest being 2002.
