, the dramatized audio recording of the New Testament featuring a cast of nearly 300 African-American celebrities, musicians and clergy, including Denzel Washington and Bishop T.D. Jakes, has sold more than 250,000 copies since its October release, becoming the fastest-selling audio Bible of all time.

According to publisher Zondervan, the industry's best-selling audio Bible, Zondervan's NIV Audio Bible, typically sells that amount in an entire year. “It's not just the fastest-selling audio Bible of all time but the fastest-selling new Bible,” said Brian Scharp, Zondervan's vice president of Bible marketing.

The Old Testament version of The Bible Experience is scheduled for release in the fall, featuring an expanded cast list. The audio project was developed and produced by Inspired By Media Group (IBMG) in partnership with Zondervan.

Meanwhile, Paula Neiman, a screenwriter who claims that she wrote the script for The Bible Experience, is suing IBMG, claiming she was cheated out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in payment.

Neiman said that after she turned over the script in 2004, a company executive told her that the project had been “scrapped,” the Associated Press (AP) reported. She was paid $10,000 but did not receive shareholder interest in IBMG that she was promised, according to the fraud and breach-of-contract lawsuit filed last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The lawsuit seeks more than $500,000 in damages, the AP reported.

IBMG officials told Christian Retailing that the company has not yet been served lawsuit papers, so they could not comment on the matter.

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