Benjamin Bratt’s new film is igniting a family feud; relatives of the man he plays claim they had no idea the movie was being made. Bratt signed on to play Puerto Rican poet/actor/playwright Miguel Pinero; but members of the legend's family are already claiming the movie was made without their consent. Pinero's sister Rosa Gomez says, "we had no knowledge that this was going on. All of this is wrong and we want to put a stop to it." Gomez claims her family was given a script in August and offered $100,000 for the movie rights; but they rejected the offer because "we didn't want to sell ourselves short and we didn't like the way they portrayed my mother as a troubled woman." But brother Dadi Pinero, who is the executor of Pinero's estate, maintains his family was not left in the dark. He says, "I contacted all my brothers and sisters. They didn't want the film done, but in the end it was my call and I thought it was a good script." All the same, Gomez admits she and other kin may go to court. She says, "this whole thing is blowing our minds. We don't want to go up against our own brother, but if we have to, we will." – Wenn.
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
