Lord of the Rings sued by top producer

The studio behind the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy is being sued for $20m (€16.2m) by movie and music mogul Saul Zaentz in regard to alleged unpaid royalties.

Zaentz's claim against New Line Cinema states he is owed a percentage of adjusted gross receipts after he bought the rights to the works of the story's author JRR Tolkien in the 1970s - licensing it to the movie company in return for a share of the profits.

The three 'Rings' films have grossed a combination of $2.9bn (€2.3bn) worldwide.

The English Patient producer's claim, based on a partial audit of the first film, 2001's The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, stated he was owed a percentage of adjusted gross receipts.

New Line's calculations have been based on the a net figure instead - the difference being $198m (€160m) with 10% owed to him.