Coppola Loses 'Contact'

By Stephen M. Silverman

12/10/1997 at 12:00 AM EST

A lawsuit filed by filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola against the late science writer Carl Sagan and Warner Bros. was dismissed this week on the grounds that it was filed too late. Coppola ("The Godfather," "Apocalypse Now") was seeking a portion of the earnings of the 1997 movie version of Sagan's 1985 book "Contact," which he claimed was based upon an idea of his. Coppola says he will appeal.