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Ridley Scott’s 1991 movieThelma and Louisefeaturing Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, was inspired after Callie Khouri heard the phrase – “two women go on a crime spree”. Thereafter with Khouri’s first attempt at screenwriting and shared collaboration from the entire crew, Scott came up with his Oscar-winning movie.
However, despite Callie Khouri being singularly inspired by a sentence to write the script ofThelma and Louise,it was claimed that the movie had major issues of plagiarism. Apparently, producers ofAssault of the Killer Bimbos(1988) found uncanny similarities between Ridley Scott’s movie and their film. This even led them to almost sue Scott for plagiarism.
Also read:“I look busted and disgusted”: Rosie Perez Could Not Believe Gladiator Director Wanted Her to Look More Ugly For an Iconic Role
How Ridley Scott’sThelma and LouiseTurned Into Reality?
During a 2011 interview withVanity Fair, renowned screenwriter Callie Khouri reflected upon her initial attempt at scriptwriting. Discussing how her first attempt led her to win an Oscar, Khouri recalled writing Ridley Scott’sThelma and Louise.Sitting in Los Angeles, Khouri recalled a sentence that inspired her out of the blue.
“Out of nowhere, I thought, Two women go on a crime spree. That one sentence! I felt the character arcs—I saw the whole movie”
The Oscar-winning screenwriter thereafter delivered the story forRidley Scott‘sThelma and Louise.Further, after her first attempt became commercially successful, Callie Khouri went on to be an established screenwriter and director. During her interview, Khouri further added, how she developed the entire story out of a sentence.
“I saw, in a flash, where those women started and where they ended up. Through a series of accidents, they would go from being invisible to being too big for their world to contain, because they’d stopped cooperating with things that were absolutely preposterous, and just became themselves.”
Nonetheless, despite her honest attempt at writing the script for Ridley Scott’s movie, Callie Khouri’s works were readily questioned.
Also read:“I don’t want to collude with her”: Lady Gaga Has No Interest in Ever Meeting the Woman She Portrayed in Ridley Scott’s Gucci Biopic
Thelma and LouiseWas Almost Sued For Plagiarism
Although Callie Khouri developed the story ofThelma and Louiseall on her own, her attempt was questioned based on plagiarism. Apparently, when Ridley Scott’s movie was released in 1991, it was accused of having uncanny similarities with the 1988 action comedyAssault of the Killer Bimbos.
Producers of the low-budget action comedy came up with serious accusations of how Ridley Scott’s movie had several similarities withAssault of the Killer Bimbos.The producers claimed that not only the storyline but even a few characters had similar edges when compared.
“The creator (of Thelma and Louise) must have seen Bimbos and was inspired in some way, whether consciously or not. There are just too many similarities. I mean, right down to the car they drive and the characters names and certain plot points. It’s amazing.” Producer David DeCoteau shared viaIMDb.
Elizabeth Kaitan, who played the role of Lulu in the 1988 action comedy, shared withFemme Fatalesmagazine (via IMDb) how the producers almost sued Ridley Scott forThelma and Louise.But eventually, realizing how much it would cost in legal fees, the producers changed their minds and never proceeded with their lawsuit.
WatchThelma and Louiseon Amazon Prime.
Read more:“Ridley’s a very smart man”: Gladiator Director Ridley Scott Found Support From Batman Actor After Filmmaker Faced a Career-Ruining Dilemma
Krittika Mukherjee
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3219
Krittika Mukherjee is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on films, TV shows, and celebrity news with over 3,000 articles published. With an educational background in Journalism, and a keen interest in filmmaking, Krittika blends factual precision with creative flair, when crafting her editorials, or dissecting fan theories.Her coverage often includes news and analyses of critically acclaimed films, celebrity news, and franchises like the Wizarding World, LOTR, DC, and MCU—particularly Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, Superheroes, and fan theories. As a Wizarding World aficionado, Krittika has spent countless hours exploring hidden backstories, unadapted book moments, spells, and trivias surrounding J.K. Rowling’s lore.An imaginative writer with a way with words, Krittika has worked as an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a web content writer for a year. She brought her experience and expertise to FandomWire to pursue her desire for sipping coffee while dissecting films and tracking celebrity drama.
