GUY RITCHIE - MADONNA AND RITCHIE SUED FOR MOVIE 'STEAL'

Movie husband-and-wife team GUY RITCHIE and MADONNA are being sued for $10.8 million (GBP6 million) by a man who claims they stole his idea for film flop SWEPT AWAY.

Actor VINCENT D'ONOFRIO will face the high-profile couple in court on Monday (27SEP04) after insisting he pitched them the plot in April 1997 - only to be cut out of the credits.

The film - which stars Madonna as an arrogant American castaway - was slammed on its release in 2002 as being one of the worst films ever made, raising just $720,000 (GBP400,000) at the American box office.

A source says, "No one can understand why Vincent is so keen to be associated with Swept Away. Everyone else has tried to forget it."