ALAN RICKMAN - WINE MERCHANT SUES RICKMAN MOVIE BOSSES

ALAN RICKMAN's new movie is facing delays after the British wine merchant he portrays in the film pressed legal action. Bottle Shock charts the infamous 1976 wine tasting competition in Paris when 11 experts were invited to blind test top French brands against little-known California bottles. The judges, nine of them French, unanimously voted for the U.S. wine, causing huge upset in France. But Steven Spurrier, who organised the event and is portrayed by Rickman in the film, is furious after reading the script, accusing moviemakers of "defamation and gross misinterpretation". In a letter fired off to Bottle Shock's producers, he adds his characterisation is "deeply insulting" and is threatening to sue unless his name is removed from the story. He says, "There is hardly a word that is true in the script and many, many pure inventions as far as I'm concerned." An American production company making a rival movie about the event after securing rights to Spurrier's story, is also considering legal action against Bottle Shock bosses.