Screenwriter claims ‘Hangover 2’ copied his story

First there was a lawsuit over the face tattoo in “The Hangover Part II,” and now there’s a reported suit over the sequel’s concept.

According to Entertainment Weekly, an “aspiring screenwriter” by the name of Michael Alan Rubin has filed a lawsuit claiming the summer blockbuster – that would be about $254 million at the domestic box office, to date – ripped off his screenplay treatment.

Rubin, who is representing himself, has reportedly filed the claim against Warner Bros., director Todd Phillips and the film’s screenwriters, claiming among other things copyright infringement, defamation and fraud.

In a case of turning his true life story into a viable movie project, Rubin wrote about his own escapades in Asia following the dissolution of his marriage to a Japanese woman in 2008. According to The Wrap, Rubin’s ticked because there are a multitude of similarities between “The Hangover Part II” and his treatment, but also because the movie doesn’t get some of his story’s details correctly.

For example, Rubin claims some of the actions of Ed Helms‘ character, including the part where he has sex with a transsexual prostitute, are defamatory.

In the suit reportedly filed with the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Rubin alleges that not only does the comedy copy his screenplay, it also takes from the “private real life incident of the Plaintiff, because the protagonist of ‘Hangover 2‘ travels from the United States to an Asian country to marry his Asian girlfriend.”

While we’re on the topic of his ex, Rubin also alleges that she’s the one who gave the film’s creators his story. The Wrap reports that Rubin is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, and also wants to take away the copyright registration certificate.

Warner Bros. has declined to comment on the lawsuit.