The Friday the 13th franchise has been mired in legal troubles for several years now, with director Sean Cunningham and Friday the 13th (1980) writer Victor Miller battling it out in court to determine who actually owns the rights to that original slasher classic. Long story short, Miller had been granted the rights to his script, which Cunningham continues to dispute.
For the latest on that whole matter, click here to brush up on the case.
Meanwhile, we’ve learned via The Hollywood Reporter that a whole nother Friday the 13th legal battle is underway, with Sean Cunningham now going after WB and Paramount.
THR reports, “Friday the 13th producer Sean Cunningham has launched a new lawsuit over net profits from the horror franchise. 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, “The Friday the 13th franchise has grossed more than $129 million, according to the complaint, but Cunningham says audits revealed there’s been improper deductions of fees and bonuses, undervalued licenses, an underreporting of merchandizing revenue and pay TV income, and on and on. He also complaints that Paramount and Warner have redacted their “package” license agreements — preventing him from fully understanding the flow of money. He alleges that defendants’ “withheld documents would reveal that the Pictures’s distribution was structured to inequitably advance the interest of Defendants and favored third parties.”
The franchise is already on hold due to the Cunningham/Miller legal battle (which itself may be on hold right now due to the unfortunate passing of a judge involved in the case), and Cunningham’s new fight with both WB and Paramount throws another wrench in the mix. In the words of Crazy Ralph, the whole franchise seems quite doomed at the moment.
More as we learn it.
source https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3650192/friday-13th-new-lawsuit-sean-cunningham-goes-wb-paramount-lost-profits/
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