Joe Francis Not Happy That Piranha 3D Associates Him With Drugs, Underage Girls, Flying Penis

Piranha 3D star Jerry O'Connell -- who will now forever be known as the dude who lost his penis in Piranha 3D -- has been fond of telling everyone that his Wild Wild Girls promoter in the film is based on Girls Gone Wild's Joe Francis. Or, as he told The Daily Beast: "For legal reasons I'm supposed to say, 'I play someone loosely based on Joe Francis.'" Not loosely enough, apparently. Joe Francis will not have his good name sullied by Piranha 3D -- and he's threatening a lawsuit.

The estimable porn purveyor has had enough with the slams he's been receiving in the press as a result of Piranha 3D, and he's planning to take legal action if they continue. "I appreciate a good parody as much as the next guy," Francis told THR. "But to associate me with drugs and the filming of underage girls crosses a definite line." Yes, breaking news: Joe Francis has a line.

Francis continues:

"I believe Mr. O'Connell may lose more than his penis (i.e., lots of money) if he and the Weinstein Co. choose to release this film and continue to falsely associate me with its questionable content."

Stay classy, Joe. For his part, O'Connell doesn't seem very concerned: "The character is based on a number of people in the soft core porn industry," O'Connell told THR "with a smile" at last night's premiere. "Any similarities are purely coincidental." As for The Weinstein Company, they "don't comment on pending legal matters."

Of course all of this raises the question: Does Piranha 3D have the best marketing campaign ever or the best marketing campaign ever?

· Read the threatening letter Joe Francis' lawyer sent over 'Piranha 3D' [THR, Esq.]