Blockbuster’s author embroiled in unholy row

THE DA VINCI CODE author Dan Brown sat in Britain’s High Court yesterday accused of taking material for his blockbuster conspiracy thriller from a 1982 book about the Holy Grail.

The accusation was made in a breach of copyright lawsuit filed against “The Da Vinci Code” publisher Random House. If the lawsuit succeeds in getting an injunction barring use of the disputed material, the scheduled May 19 release of The Da Vinci Code film starring Tom Hanks and Ian McKellan could be threatened.

Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, authors of the Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, sued Random House, which also published their book. Random House has denied the claim.