The Martian: Fox being sued by Russian screenwriter for allegedly plagiarising his script

Russian culture minister Vladimir Medinsky 'has a legal right to initiate the suspension of the film's release until the dispute is resolved', says lawyer

Although Ridley Scott’s The Martian may be based on a novel, one Russian screenwriter believes the film is actually stolen from a script he wrote.

Mikhail Raskhodnikov is suing Fox for plagiarising his script, entitled Marsianin (The Martian) which he wrote in 2008 and later submitted to a number of studios.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the screenwriter’s lawyer, Shota Gorgadze, told Russian FM station Vesti that the plotline and details from the script were used in the upcoming Matt Damon starring film.

They are now demanding 50 million rubles (£500,000) in damages, with the law suit scheduled to be considered in mid-October.

The pair have also called upon Russian culture minister Vladimir Medinsky to step in and help fight Hollywood.

“[Medinsky] has a legal right to initiate the suspension of the film's release until the dispute is resolved," Gorgadze said.

The Martian tells the an astronaut who gets abandoned on Mars after being believed dead. He then manages to contact Earth, and a debate over whether to go save him ensues.

The film, directed by Ridley Scott, is based on the novel by Andy Weir which was published in 2011. However, the author began writing it in 2009, one year after Raskhodnikov’s script was finished.

The Martian hits UK cinemas 30 September 2015