Two-year-old lawsuit regarding ‘Jesus’ film settled

SAM CLEMENTE, Calif. — A two-year-old suit involving Campus Crusade for Christ’s “Jesus” film has been settled.

Film producer John Heyman claimed there were unauthorized changes made in a children’s version of the film, Christian Century reported. He said his reputation had been damaged by the changes and filed suit in New York City seeking damages and the restoration of all rights to him.

The “Jesus” film, which is based on the Gospel of Luke, first appeared in U.S. theaters in 1979, but has been used in various versions since that time as a tool for evangelism.

Campus Crusade founder Bill Bright, who died July 19, had worked with Heyman on widespread exposure of the movie.

“I heard from Bill before he died that the suit was settled,” said Ted Baehr, publisher of Movieguide, a family-oriented guide to movies and entertainment.

A staffer at the Jesus Film Project, a Campus Crusade affiliate in San Clemente, Calif., confirmed in mid-September that the settlement had been reached, but details were not made public, the magazine reported.

Heyman said in an e-mail: “My relationship with Campus Crusade could not be better and there are no outstanding disputes.”

The Jesus Film Project reports that the movie, dubbed into 800 languages, has been seen by more than 5 billion people.