Los Angeles: The director of the influential music video Thriller has sued pop star Michael Jackson over his share of profits from the 14-minute work.
Filmmaker John Landis, who co-wrote and directed the 1983 Thriller video, filed a breach of contract lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court just days before Broadway producers announced this week they had bought the rights to adapt the video for the stage.
The 14-minute Thriller video, featuring dancing zombies and Jackson himself, was first aired in 1983 and remains one of the most influential music videos worldwide.
Landis also made a documentary about the making of the Thriller video.
Landis, director of movies including An American Werewolf in London and The Blues Brothers, said in his lawsuit that he had not received his 50 per cent share of the profits from Thriller — including licensing rights — for at least the past four years from Jackson's now-defunct company Optimum Productions.
The lawsuit accuses Jackson, 50, of "fraudulent, malicious and oppressive conduct", claiming that Jackson had failed to produce full and proper accounts for the past four years "and earlier".
Jackson has led a low-profile life since his acquittal in 2005 of child sex abuse charges and his spokesman could not immediately be contacted for comment on the January 21 lawsuit.
He is currently living in luxury rented accommodation in Los Angeles after spending time in Las Vegas, Ireland and Dubai in the past three years.
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