Richard Cutis has accepted today that the original script for his latest film 'The Boat that Rocked' was based in part on the famous Below Decks stories published on the TheSpoof.com.
He said that the concept of a mixed group of individuals thrown together on board a pirate ship, and the hilarious interactions between them was first brought to him by a Mr. Peregrin Skoob who claimed to represent the esteemed author and bon-vivant known only by his pen-name of Morse. Mr Skoob suggested that Morse had assigned control of the story to him and that he was in a position to broker a film rights deal with Mr Curtis.
However, after the contracts were signed and Mr Skoob had been paid, it became apparent to Curtis that all was not as it should be.
"We had started the casting process, and the film was in the final scripting stage when we heard about Spielberg's new pirate movie," explained Curtis. "Our people contacted their people and suddenly we realised we'd bought a lemon."
It turned out that Skoob, who everyone had taken to be a Hollywood lawyer, was actually a retired short-order cook from the UK. It seemed he had tricked everyone and absconded with Curtis's money.
"There was no alternative," said Curtis, "we had no money left for a new story and everything was underway. So we decided to change the story enough to keep Steven's people happy."
The original story had a swarthy pirate crew on board The Buggerall, an infamous pirate vessel which at one point actually sinks, only to be recovered again in strange circumstances. Curtis rewrote the story, and re-set it in the 1960s and 70s. The crew became a group of pop music DJs and the pirate ship became a pirate-radio ship.
Cutis was particularly pleased that the same actors were still suitable, and that his wardrobe budget was significantly reduced. "They all just wore their own clothes," said Curtis, "so I should probably thank Skoob after all. I hear Spielberg's film is having a bit of trouble too."
