'Angels' Slapped with TV Star's Lawsuit

By Stephen M. Silverman

Thursday July 10, 2003 01:00 PM EDT

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Veteran actor Robert Wagner wants part of Drew Barrymore's pie.

The former "Hart to Hart" star, 73, claims he helped develop the original 1970's "Charlie's Angels" TV series and is suing for half the profits from the "Angels" movies, starring and executive produced by Barrymore, reports Reuters.

According to his legal papers, Wagner's involvement with "Angels" began when he and his (now deceased) wife Natalie Wood agreed to star in the 1974 TV movie "Love Song" (later called "The Affair") for producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg -- who then allegedly gave Wood and Wagner part interest for five TV shows, one of which became the 1976-81 series "Charlie's Angels," the lawsuit says.

Sony subsequently assumed the rights to the series from Spelling's production company, but Wagner says he was never paid his share of the profits from the two "Angels" movies.

The first big-screen adventure, in 2000, took in more that $125 million in the U.S. alone, while the current sequel, "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle," has so far grossed $67 million.

Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz star in the movies with Barrymore, in TV roles originated by Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson.

Wagner's lawsuit is demanding that Sony add profits from the movies to his share of the profits from the TV series.

"This has to do with whether or not his entitlement to a share in the television series extends to the movie," said Wagner's lawyer Samuel Pryor.

Sony has yet to comment on the lawsuit.