10 Totally Confusing Hollywood Screenwriting Disputes
3. Nobody Can Say For Sure Who Actually Wrote Cliffhanger
The 1993 Sylvester Stallone action film Cliffhanger has perhaps the most confusing writing credits in Hollywood history.
Screenwriter Michael France sold his Cliffhanger script to Carolco Pictures, which Stallone revised himself. Outside producers Gene Hines and Jim Zatalokin approached Carolco with claims that they had developed the story with famous climber John Long prior to France’s involvement and produced a half-page synopsis written by Long. The WGA awarded Long a never-before-used “Based on a premise by” credit, and so the film’s final credits unwieldy state “Screenplay by Michael France and Sylvester Stallone, screen story by Michael France, based on a premise by John Long.”
Hines and Zatalokin were awarded co-producer credits in lieu of screenwriting credit. Furthermore, Carolco paid settlements to other uncredited writers who claimed that they came up with the story. In other words, it’s impossible to figure out exactly who wrote what in the Cliffhanger script.
Cliffhanger wasn’t the first or last time that Stallone faced issues with screenplay credits. He won two separate lawsuits over claims that he ripped off the stories for both Rocky IV and The Expendables. Stallone also settled a lawsuit by Chuck Wepner after the boxer claimed he was the inspiration behind the script for Rocky.