Angelina Jolie hits back at lawsuit

Angelina Jolie claims she has "never seen" the book she is alleged to have based 'In the Land of Blood and Honey' on.

The Oscar-winning actress - who is making her directorial debut with the Serbian love story - is being sued by Croatian journalist James Braddock for copyright violation, as he maintains the movie is an adaptation of his own book 'The Subject Work', which was published in 2007.

However, the star has dismissed the lawsuit as "par for the course" of directing a film.

She told the Los Angeles Times: "It's par for the course. It happens on almost every film.

"There are many books and documentaries that I did pull from. It's a combination of many people's stories. But that particular book I've never seen."

In a lawsuit filed in a federal court in Illinois, Mr. Braddock claims he met with producer Edin Sarkic - who is now working on Angelina's movie - several times throughout 2008 to discuss the possibility of his tome being adapted for the big screen.

He maintains the pair talked about the details of the book, which similarly to 'In the Land of Blood and Honey' documents the love story between a female prisoner and a Serbian soldier, "including plot and character development and the story's cultural significance and historical accuracy".

A judge will now have determine whether "the claimed obvious similarities meet the high threshold needed to prove copyright infringement".

Mr. Braddock is seeking an injunction to block the film's scheduled release on December 23, as well as unspecified damages.