Rival Hollywood heavyweights are fighting in court for the right to make a prequel to Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Perhaps they should call it “Battling titans, penniless author”.

The son of the late Chinese author, Wang Du Lu, who wrote the novel that inspired the 2000 film, complains in court papers that the family received only $30,000 (£15,000) for the rights to the hit, which won four Oscars and grossed $230 million. “Notwithstanding the success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, my family received very little direct compensation from it,” Wang Hong, the son, said.

“We found that because we did not understand the motion picture business when we signed the 1997 agreement we left ourselves in a position where we were unprotected.”

Dr Wang is caught up in a legal tug-of-war between two Hollywood powerhouses in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, where the Chinese-born scientist works.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was based on the fourth novel of a five-book series by his father known as the “Crane-Iron Pentology.” The other books are Flying Stork, Shaking Kunlun; Precious Sword, Golden Hairpin; Legendary Sword, Brilliant Pearls and Iron Rider, Silver Vase. Wang Du Lu, who was sentenced to farm labour during China’s Cultural Revolution, died in 1977. The rights to his works are held equally by Dr Wang and his sister, Qin Wang, a retired mathematics professor in China.

Both Columbia Pictures and The Weinstein Compay, run by Harvey and Bob Weinstein, claim that they struck a deal with Dr Wang to buy the film rights to the four other novels.

Columbia Pictures says that it had already hammered out an agreement with Dr Wang through phone calls and e-mails when the Hollywood trade paper Daily Varietyreported last year that the Weinstein Company had acquired the rights to the series. The Sony-owned studio sued Dr Wang and The Weinstein Company for $200 million in damages.

Dr Wang says that negotiations with Columbia Pictures never resulted in a binding agreement before he struck a deal with The Weinstein Company. “I understood at the time there was to be no binding legal agreement until a full contract was negotiated and executed,” he says in his affidavit. The Weinstein Company have counter-sued. Dr Wang does not allege any fraud in the modest amount paid for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.But he says that it made the family take greater care when negotiating the rights to the other novels.

“Since the release of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, my sister and I have been anxious for more movies to be made before the copyright in my father’s works expires,” Dr Wang said.

But “neither of us would sign any agreement without the approval of the other”, he added.

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