Author Claims ‘Avengers’ Writer, Director Stole His Idea

Lionsgate, producer and co-writer Joss Whedon and director Drew Goddard stole the idea for The Cabin in the Woods from a 2006 novel, “The Little White Trip: A Night in the Pines,” the book’s author claims in an infringement lawsuit. Writer Peter Gallagher seeks $10 million in the suit, which alleges similarities between the two works, among them some character names as well as certain plot elements.. Gallagher, who self-published the book, notes that he hawked the finished product on Venice Beach, a short distance from where the defendants live.