Micheal Jackson is being sued by the director of his music video for Thriller.

Hollywood legend John Landis has accused the singer of not paying him profits from the video for the last four years.

Landis, well known for directing Eddie Murphy in Coming To America and Trading Places, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles claiming he was entitled to 50 per cent of all profits made.

He also clamed that he was owed royalty payments from a behind-the-scenes documentary he directed.

Landis's solicitor said: "I can't understand what they are doing to John Landis's company.

"It is such a straight ahead thing. It makes no sense at all to me."

A representative of Jackson had no comment to make about the allegations.

The video for Jacko's 'Thriller', released in 1983, is widely regarded as one of the greatest music videos of all time which is believed to have cost $500,000 (£350,000) to make – about ten times the cost of a normal music video at the time.