Films like Robocop, Beetlejuice and Ace Ventura.. Then the next step to a quick Jason flick is the two deciding on the ownership of Jason Voorhees. Then comes the question of the mask, Toberoff adds. As we edge towards a full 15 years without the resurfacing of Jason Voorhees, some possible good hits Twitter. 0. Lee, an experienced producer on IT and the upcoming thriller movieBarbarian, likely facilitated such an agreement already and is waiting for the legal go-ahead to share an official announcement. - https://www.twitch.tv/slashncastFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/slashncastXbox, PS4, and Steam Community Groups - \"Slash N Cast Fans\"Support the Slash 'N Cast Podcast Network - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1430243890487883/https://twitter.com/SnCNetwork2017-2020 Retro Redux Entertainment#horror #horrornews #slashncast Because the current copyright holder (Disney, in the Avengers case) is usually the one in the best position to produce and distribute a film worldwide, Moss said. End of content No future content Skull Objectives Unlock 30 new emotes Update Status First Look: Engine Update XP, CP, & Tape Event Happy Friday the 13th Campers View all news Patches 8.9.19 Patch Notes 7.30.19 Patch Notes 5.7.19 Patch Notes View all patches REPORT BUG He has been constantly keeping us fans informed surrounding the legalese of this case and its minutia. Friday the 13th lawsuit update: Sean S. Cunningham says odds of a new movie being made are 50-50 By Cody Hamman May 12, 2022 JASON VOORHEES - Killer Guide to Horror Watch on Some further thoughts on the Victor Miller/Sean Cunningham case: People are wondering why the two can't work things out and reach a deal. To consider it, you have to drill down whats in question here: the ownership of the original Friday the 13th script, not the sequels. A court sided with Miller, but in interviews with CNN, Cunningham and Millers attorney reveal why Jason may not have hacked his way out of court just yet. Herein lies the key issue in the case: was Miller an employee when he wrote the script, or an independent contractor who completed the work for hire? In July, franchise star Corey Feldman said that he had heard from a lawyer, who claimed to have resolved the rights issues. Miller took advantage of a provision of U.S. We were both broke, trying to figure out a way to make money to keep the lights on for six months, Cunningham said. How does this apply to Clive Barker and the. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. This includes things like travel, marketing, and any number of expenses a project can incur, including money paid to the studio and its executives. Katie Dippold(Ghostbusters2016) is writing the new movies script for Disney. Well see what happens. On opposing sides of the conflict are Friday the 13ths producer and director of the 1980 film Sean S. Cunningham, who also represents a group of investors, and Victor Miller, the first films screenwriter who has fought for control of his script after the copyright expired. The rights are now in the hands of the original film producer and director, Horror Inc. / Sean S. Cunningham. The quickest route to a new Jason movie is if Cunningham and Miller accept the courts decision and decide not to continue through the courts. At the trial level where the facts of the case are heard in full it was decided that Miller did own the initial copyright, was not an employee, and therefore has a claim to the copyright now. | Friday the 13th Lawsuit Update + New Release - YouTube 0:00 / 7:37 #slashncast This is Getting Ridiculous. The 12 Friday the 13th films have grossed a combined worldwide box-office total of $468.24 million dollars and even more off merchandise over the years. The lawsuit ONLY concerns profits of the 2009 F13 Reboot. Since 1980, the Friday the 13th franchise has been providing horror fans with creative and brutal kills, formulaic plots, and usually a healthy nose of naked people. Without divulging anything substantial, Lee hints that news regarding the iconic slasher franchise could be coming by the end of the year. More simply, an author who sells the copyright to their work can formally request a reversion of those rights (to get their copyright back) after 35 years have lapsed. He was granted ownership of Friday the 13th. Well, without a new Friday The 13th movie for now. Jason Voorhees is one of the most famous horror. The 1980s were a golden age for slasher movies, and one of the poster boys of this movement was Jason Voorhees, who took over the family business of killing teens at Camp Crystal Lake from his mother Pamela after she lost her head. Is this necessarily good news? Behind every cry for an update to Friday the 13th: The Game from Stephen Kings hellish book idea to every scream for another Voorhees reboot is a complicated legal battle for Voorhees ownership that could go all the way to the Supreme Court. RELATED:Coming Soon: Freaky Hits Digital Jan. 26 and Blu-ray/DVD Feb. 9, Now, Jason Voorhees is heading back to court for another case. Hockey-masked killer Jason Voorhees lies in wait for a chance to use his razor-sharp machete on Clay and the group of college students who have come to the forest to party. As it stands, it would be risky to proceed with any media as the battle for Jason rages on, and should Jason remain with Cunningham, hed have to produce only media that doesnt reference any lore from Part I. Those who know (sorry, Casey Becker, but you dont know) understand that Jason Voorhees, the undead giant, didnt exist until Part II, and the hockey mask wearing zombie adjacent penultimate version of the slasher didnt come to be until Part III. Publisher Gun Media says it will release one final update for Friday the 13th . Will 2022 finally be the years where Mom and Dad get officially launched back into their own productions? It also now includes information on the 2021 Cunningham v Paramount lawsuit. As the battle trudges on, no more Friday the 13th media can be made. Desperate for help, they contact a priest (Wilson), who, in turn, enlists the aid of a widowed scientist-turned failed-paranormal expert (Stanfield), a French Quarter psychic (Haddish) and a crotchety historian (DeVito).. If the Miller case is resolved, I would bet the parties would be motivated to settle this matter quickly and jump on making a new film rather than it being a further source of delay. With all of that fantastic IP, I still cant help but feel a longing for our two best babes, Freddy and Jason. This post on the Friday the 13th lawsuit was updated on October 2, 2021, to reflect the current status of the Horror Inc. v Miller case. 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Larry Zerner has stated on Twitter: " The lawsuit ONLY concerns profits of the 2009 F13 Reboot. The lawsuits have ultimately split the rights to this franchise between the two parties, and it seems that they must both work together in order for a new installment to get off the ground. But Toberoff claims this case is different because of the unusual nature of Millers 1979 agreement with Cunningham, which he says will hold up in court to give Miller a partial stake in worldwide rights, in addition to full U.S. rights he won last year. According to a complaint filed on Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, the studios distributing the films have systematically misaccounted contingent compensation., The report continues, TheFriday the 13th franchise has grossed more than $129 million, according to the complaint, but Cunningham says audits revealed theres been improper deductions of fees and bonuses, undervalued licenses, an underreporting of merchandizing revenue and pay TV income, and on and on. Jason appeared in a 2015 DLC of Mortal Kombat X (before the notice of termination) and has not yet appeared in Mortal Kombat 11, raising lots of questions as to whether the legal battle would kill the possibility. This rule was added in 1976 by Congress with the intention to protect creators from unequal bargaining power. The Friday the 13th case decision will certainly be something studios are dancing around in a panic. Jason was very much a presence in Millers film. You can also check out her podcast, The Pod and The Pendulum, at your usual podcast spots and find The Smash List on YouTube for tech reviews. He's a lawyer, and he has resolved the rights issues aroundFriday the 13th, and that things are working out, and now they'll be able to start makingFriday the 13thmovies again.". After an appeals court upheld a lower court ruling in September, Miller, the screenwriter, was awarded the copyright for the script and characters associated with the original Friday the 13th film. January 4, 2022 It's been well over a decade since the last Friday the 13th film was released in 2009. Its worth noting that Roy Lee was previously involved with a Friday the 13th project first reported in 2018. Fox already settled a case over the rights to Arnold Schwarzeneggers 1987 film Predator, Moss said, adding that Disney is currently in litigation over five Marvel characters including Spider-Man, Iron Man and Black Widow. As of April 2020, Spyglass Media Group is developing a Hellraiser reboot with director David Bruckner and writers Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski. Eddie Murphy starred in the film. Friday the 13th: The Game has seen no content for years, and now its official servers are shuttered with no new Jason Voorhees action coming. Cunningham is alleging that Paramount and Warner Bros used improper deductions of fees and bonuses, undervalued licenses, an underreporting of merchandizing revenue and pay TV income, and on and on, in calculating the amount owed to Cunningham for licenses to Friday the 13th. Unwelcome Exclusive Clip Meet the Tiny Goblins in Upcoming Irish Creature Feature! According to entertainment lawyer and Friday the 13th Part 3 star Larry Zerner, original screenwriter Victor Miller stands victorious. The Friday the 13th dispute may be messy, but its not unique. There is no guarantee theyll hear the case, but its safe to assume Cunningham will try. THR reports, Friday the 13th producer Sean Cunningham has launched a new lawsuit over net profits from the horror franchise. With only a few months left to go, it shouldnt be much longer before we know what this exciting news could be. Both sides are really dug into foxholes, Cunningham said. Putting aside the issue of whether Victor is legally able to terminate the agreement, the remaining issues are very complicated 1/. The rights transfer is also exclusive to U.S. domestic rights, meaning that even assuming this arrangement holds, Miller will have to come to some kind of agreement with Cunningham and other stakeholders before new films can be produced and distributed worldwide. Its also possible the delay is because Judge Winter was the judge writing the decision (one judge usually writes the long decision and the others concur or dissent.). Miller is represented by Marc Toberoff, who previously represented the heirs to Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel when they tried to terminate the copyright transfer for the Man of Steel. For those of us who prefer legal dramas to slasher flicks, this could be a riveting battle of oral arguments, briefs, precedents, amici, and maybe an en banc. Thisshould have happened last year, but with the pandemic bringing about delays, it remains unclear when that case will be resolved. He uses Twitter to update fans on the latest in the dispute between the screenwriter and the original producer, but hes more than just an observer. James had previously called the series one of my favorites and posted an Instagram photo of himself dressed in Jasons chosen head gear, a hockey mask. And, although he couldnt reveal any specific details, his response is still quite exciting. Court systems worldwide have had delays as a result of lockdown logistics and its increasingly difficult to predict timelines. These are usually only triggered in bad faith circumstances, so it would be a difficult one to argue, though it is more and more relevant as Halloween sequels cash in at the box office. Hollywood accounting is a name given to how studios often engage in creative bookkeeping to ensure their movies appear to have not been profitable. This is Getting Ridiculous. Makes no sense, Toberoff said. Friday The 13th Reboot Movie Gets Hopeful Update Amid Legal Battles, lawsuit filed by screenwriter Victor Miller. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of Friday the 13thwriter Victor Miller in his lawsuit against the film's director and producer, Sean Cunningham. Toberoff, who also secured rights to horror icon Freddy Kreuger and A Nightmare on Elm Street for the estate of Wes Craven, appears ready to walk a fine line as he pushes for a future project. There is still the ability to appeal to the Supreme Court, though scholars dont think it will be certified and heard. Its also possible that studios and the WGA will file amicus briefs in order to pile on arguments should this be heard by a higher court. The timing of termination -- in 2017 -- was likely in part due to rumored movement on a sequel and in part because Miller only had a five-year window, from 2014 until 2019, to file. Do you do a new mask, like they often did before? TV News. Furthermore, LeBron James would have been involved with his SpringHill Entertainment. This should not be confused with the ongoing lawsuit Cunningham is waging with original Friday screenwriter Victor Miller (although its all very confusing!). Friday the 13th lawsuit update: Sean S. Cunningham says odds of a new movie being . The court concluded that Miller completed the Friday the 13th script for Cunningham as a contract worker. As this will be a precedent-setting case, its safe to assume other studios and copyright owners have interest in the outcome, and will want this to be decided by the Supreme Court. Cunningham would have licensed the Friday the 13th rights (as they existed at the time of the remake) to the studios for the 2009 film. My feeling is theres a lot of bad blood between both sides, said Larry Zerner, an entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles. To put it this way, Friday the 13th is more fun, laid back, like a party game. "I think if we do any reboots, the reboot should be the Tommy vs. Jason reboot," Feldman said over the summer. Similar suits were launched for Harry Potter, Fahrenheit 9/11 and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Jeryline Bascombe: Demon Knight, Final Girl, and Savior of the World [Matriarchy Rising], HARD:LINE Film Festival Announces Its 2023 Short Film Line-Up, Five Directors Who Should Make The Next A Nightmare On Elm Street. The audio of the trial suggested that the courts were not buying Cunninghams argument and are leaning towards deciding in favour of Miller. Vertigo Entertainment founder Roy Lee teases that exciting news about the Friday the 13th franchise could arrive soon despite the legal stalemate. Can these girls stop playing petty already and just give us what we need? Famously, Peter Jackson and Wingnut Films sued New Line Cinema, along with actors and Tolkiens estate, for their gross percentage payouts. Check out the introduction articles by co-founders Matt Donato and Matthew Monagle. When Congress lengthened the term for copyrights in 1976, it threw a bone to creators of big-name projects by giving them an avenue to wrestle control of intellectual property away from producers and studios. The Blackening Trailer Horror-Comedy Spoofs Slasher Tropes from a Black Perspective, Latest Scream VI Featurette Promises the Most Ruthless, Relentless Ghostface to Date. Though dragging it on could mean more time without a Jason movie, its a pretty nuanced issue that would be interesting to have decided by the courts. 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