Rights squabble clouds Weinsteins' John Lennon biopic

By Eriq Gardner

All you need is love?

"Nowhere Boy," the planned biopic on John Lennon's early life, might be looking for a little affection after a skirmish has apparently broken out over rights to the film's source material.

The Weinstein Co.-distributed film, which is being directed by Sam Taylor-Wood and stars Kristin Scott Thomas and Aaron Johnson, is said to be based on the biography "Imagine This: Growing Up With My Brother John Lennon," written by his sister, Julia Baird.

Previously, Baird wrote another John Lennon book with Geoffrey Guliano, who now claims that a lot of the research for "Imagine This" came from his own studies.

According to a story posted on Contact Music, Guliano is now threatening to sue Baird, claiming he's entitled to 50% of her earnings from the picture.

"More than half the material in the book is a result of my research," Guliano told the website. "Additional information in 'Imagine This' was uncovered by me in my original research. I was the person who conceptualised the original book."

It's unclear whether any lawsuit has been filed, or even if the claim would impact production or distribution of the film. But it sounds like it could become a volatile situation, especially if the Weinstein Co. gets involved. Litigation tends to find the Weinsteins. The company is already knee-deep in litigation over the move of "Project Runway" from Bravo to Lifetime, as well as the ongoing fight over distribution rights to Sundance hit "Precious" (formerly "Push").