Fake Gay wedding film was "stolen"

Adam Sandler is Hollywood’s king of comedy and this autumn he’s set to marry the King of Queens, aka Kevin James, in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. Sandler could be in need of a few laughs following the box office failure of his departure from comedy in Reign Over Me and if reports are true that his four-year marriage may be in trouble.

To rain on his parade, the makers of Chuck and Larry may be in for a legal battle after being accused of plagiarism. As you can guess from the film’s title, Chuck and Larry is about a same-sex marriage. Sandler plays Chuck Levine, who is best friends with Larry Valentine, played by King of Queens star Kevin James.
Both are firemen, which leaves widowed Larry some cause for concern. He worries about the care of his children if he’s injured or killed in fire and wants to take advantage of pension benefits so he comes up with the solution of marrying Chuck. They head to Canada for a quickie wedding, but things get complicated when the authorities investigate whether the relationship is legitimate.

Now, the producers of Australian film Strange Bedfellows thought the plot of Chuck and Larry was awfully familiar. Shana Levine, one of the producers of Strange Bedfellows, said legal action was being considered after expert analysis of the two scripts found striking similarities.

“The initial results have caused us to be more confident that there has been a copyright violation,” Levine said. “We are investigating all avenues open to us.” Strange Bedfellows, starring Paul “Crocodile Dundee” Hogan and Michael Caton, is a comedy about a widowed businessman who weds his widowed friend in order to take advantage of new tax breaks. Mmm, different characters, similar plot line.

The plot thickens after Michael Caton claimed that actor Rob Schneider, who Caton worked with on set for The Animal, must have given his friend Sandler a copy of Strange Bedfellows and that’s how Chuck and Larry must have come to fruition. This is a fact that Schneider, who plays an Asian minister in Chuck and Larry, has denied. 

In a reply to Caton, Schneider reportedly commented: “It is true you gave me a DVD copy of Strange Bedfellows, but I must confess I’ve never watched it as it is not on the same format as I have.” He added that “it makes quite a nice drink coaster”.

While he may just have tied the knot with Larry onscreen, there have been hints that Sandler may be walking down a rocky path with his wife Jackie. He is currently shooting his new film, You Don’t Mess With The Zolan, and has been seen out partying with the boys in New York on more than one occasion without his wedding ring 

This may not sound like hard evidence of a relationship breakdown, but that’s more than enough to get rumours circulating about terminal marital problems. Of course, Sandler’s agent has denied any problems in Sandler’s marriage and he could well have just forgotten to put his ring back on after shooting on set, but that’s Hollywood gossip for you.

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry opens on 21 September nationwide.