 Producers Alexander and Ilya Salkinds first choice for director was  Ridley Scott (qv). Four months after rejecting their offer, Scott  started working on a rival Christopher Columbus project which  ultimately became _1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)_ (qv). As a  consequence of this, the Salkinds unsuccessfully tried to sue Scott  for stealing their idea. They were forced to drop their lawsuit when  it was proved that "1492"s producer Alain Goldman and writer  Roselyne Boschs first proposal of a Christopher Columbus project  predated theirs.