Studio denies Sandler film plagiarised Hogan comedy

Movie bosses have dismissed claims Adam Sandler's new film 'I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry' plagiarised a 2004 Paul Hogan comedy.

Hogan and Michael Caton starred in Australian movie 'Strange Bedfellows' as two heterosexual men who pretend to be a gay couple - the same basic plot premise as the Sandler film.

However, officials at Universal Pictures have denied any intentional similarity, arguing the Sandler film was in development years before the release of 'Strange Bedfellows'.

In a statement, the studio said: "Universal Pictures has reviewed the contentions of the producers of 'Strange Bedfellows' and has determined that Universal's film 'I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry' does not infringe the copyright in 'Strange Bedfellows'.

"In addition to the fact that the films are substantially different, 'I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry' was in development at Universal several years before 'Strange Bedfellows' was theatrically released in Australia."