Seagal sues Saudi prince over pounds 30m film deal

Action hero Steven Seagal has decided law suits speak louder than fists and is suing a Saudi prince he says reneged on a film deal.

Seagal is suing Prince Abdulilad bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, half brother to King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, for more than $25m (pounds 15m) after the prince pulled out of financing the film Men of Honour.

The movie star says Prince Abdulilad is a man of no honour after failing to go through with a 1992 verbal agreement, confirmed in writing, to finance the film for pounds 30m in return for world-wide distribution rights.

Seagal, 47, star of films such as Under Siege, Out for Justice and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, is suing for breach of contract, intentional misrepresentation and negligent misrepresentation.

Men of Honour was to star martial arts expert Seagal who says he made expensive preparations for filming, believing he had secured funding from the prince.

According to the suit filed at the Los Angeles Superior Court, the prince stumped up $1.65m but failed to follow up with the rest. The actor says he has no idea why the prince did not go through with the deal. As a result, Seagal says his company Seagal/Nasso Productions Incorporated has lost a substantial sum of money.

Seagal's lawyer, Scott Lord, said: "With $30m all from one source, Steven went ahead with preparations to make the film. The prince forwarded $1.65m for expenses and then pulled the plug."

Prince Abdulilad was served with a writ in New York in November, which Seagal's lawyers say he has ignored. They have asked the prince's lawyers to explain his actions to the Los Angeles court.