A drama professor testified that he would accuse "Star Wars" creator George Lucas of plagiarism if the filmmaker were to submit "Return of the Jedi" as a class project.
Lucas is the subject of a $128 million lawsuit filed by Calgary writer-producer Dean Preston, who alleges the film's endearing Ewok characters were stolen from an earlier Preston script called "Space Pets."Preston is suing Lucas, Lucas Films Ltd. and 20th Century Fox Canada Ltd. for general and punitive damages, alleging copyright infringement and breach of implied contract.
Preston says Lucas stole the concept and name for the Ewoks - bearlike, child-size tree dwellers - from a script he sent to Lucas in 1978.
Under questioning Monday in a federal court of Canada by Preston's lawyer, University of Calgary drama professor James Dugan said after reading Preston's script and seeing "Return of the Jedi," he found that "the similarities were striking and more than coincidence would allow."
"Let us suppose that I taught a screenwriting course in which both Dean Preston and George Lucas appeared as students three years apart. If I had received "Space Pets" from Preston as a final project in 1978 and "Return of the Jedi" from Lucas in 1981, I would bring Lucas before the dean on a charge of plagiarism," Dugan said.