Is warner bros disney

The legal battle over whether production company Sweetpea Entertainment or toy giant Hasbro owns sequel rights to Dungeons & Dragons came has come to an end — at least for now. But the seven-day trial that wrapped late Tuesday in federal court in downtown LA did not end quietly. “Hasbro cannot have it both ways,” attorney Patricia Glaser said in her closing statement, calling out the company for disputing a 2010 D&D movie sequel but not a 2005 one and dragging her client, Sweetpea and its owner Courtney Solomon, into court. Noting the “tentpole opportunity” the production company has with Warner Bros , Glaser added, “only Sweetpea, not Hasbro, has the right to make a movie with Dungeons & Dragons as its primary title.” Of course Hasbro sees it differently, which is why they rolled the dice with its initial complaint last May . “Hasbro has a right to begin to make movies of its own based on the property,” said lawyer Jeremy Goldman in his closing before … [Read more...] about ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Trial Ends; Will Warner Bros Or Universal Cast Magic Sequel Spell?

Filmmaker Kevin Smith tore into Warner Bros. for canceling its Batgirl movie and still going forward with The Flash, while the star of the latter, Ezra Miller , remains embroiled in numerous controversies. In a recent episode of Hollywood Babble-On — Smith’s pop culture podcast with Ralph Garman —Smith quipped, “I don’t give a shit how bad the Batgirl movie is, nobody in that movie … has anything in their real life that you have to market around. But in The Flash movie, we all know there’s a big problem.” Garman then jumped in, “Yeah, Flash is a supervillain; that’s the problem!” Miller has been embroiled in various controversies for much of the year, starting with a string of arrests and run-ins with the police in Hawaii. Rolling Stone also reported on an allegation that Miller “stole” music from a pair of musicians they were working with and that, as of June, they were reportedly hosting a 25-year-old mother and her three children at a Vermont farm … [Read more...] about Kevin Smith Can’t Believe Warner Bros. Canceled ‘Batgirl’ and Not Ezra Miller’s ‘The Flash’

California rock outfit Avenged Sevenfold have been sued by their label, Warner Bros. Records, after attempting to break their as-yet-unfulfilled contract by citing California’s “seven-year rule,” Billboard reports. Avenged Sevenfold have released four out of the five albums mandated by their deal, which was signed in 2004. Since then, according to a statement by the band’s lawyer, Howard E. King, the label has undergone “multiple regime changes that led to dramatic turnover at every level of the company, to the point where no one on the current A&R staff has even a nodding relationship with the band.” The “seven-year rule” the band has invoked is a section of the California labor code that stipulates a court cannot enforce a personal service contract after seven calendar years from when the deal began. But Warner Bros., in their breach-of-contract suit, dismissed Avenged Sevenfold’s invocation of the rule as unlawful and have demanded a trial in order to rule it … [Read more...] about Avenged Sevenfold Sued After Trying to Split From Warner Bros

John Oliver took his first major swipe at his new “business daddy” Warner Bros. Discovery. The host of HBO ’s Last Week Tonight reveled in the cancellation of DC film Batgirl during a segment on Monkeypox. While discussing how the U.S. government allowed Monkeypox vaccines to expire rather than help other countries in need, he likened it to the move this week by David Zaslav and co. to cancel the Leslie Grace-fronted feature. “We let the vaccine sit unused on a shelf in our reserves, like an expired Chobani or a $90 million movie on HBO Max,” he said. “Hi there, new business daddy seems like you’re doing a really great job. I do get the vague sense that you’re burning down my network for the insurance money, but I’m sure that that will all pass.” Oliver used to delight in slamming previous owners AT&T, regularly taunting his business daddy, by criticizing the company’s links to right wing cable network One America News (OAN), discussing its former status … [Read more...] about John Oliver Slams New “Business Daddy” Warner Bros. Discovery: “I Get The Sense You’re Burning Down My Network For The Insurance Money”

Deadline on Monday launched the streaming site for its Contenders Television: The Nominees , our annual TV awards-season showcase that took place Saturday with 31 panels featuring the year’s buzziest Emmy-nominated scripted and unscripted series and documentaries. Click here to go to the site. This year’s all-day event included a who’s who of stars, creators and craftspeople from 16 networks, studios and streamers discussing the stories behind their works with Deadline moderators. The list of attendees ran the gamut from RuPaul’s Drag Race ‘s queens to Better Call Saul ‘s stars, Stranger Things ‘ creators and everyone in between, from Norman Lear to Lizzo, Ben Stiller to Ron Howard, Elle Fanning to Seth Meyers, and Jeff Goldblum to Jennifer Coolidge, Emmy Rossum, Quinta Brunson, Nathan Lane and many more. Overall, the weekend’s panel lineups came from ABC/Sony Pictures Television, AMC, Apple TV+, Comedy Central, Disney+, FX, HBO Max, Hulu, NBC, National … [Read more...] about Deadline’s Contenders Television: The Nominees Streaming Site Launches

The Comcast-owned heavyweight may have lost round one of the studio Bond battle with MGM and 007 producer Danjaq , but they were firing from the legal trenches today. “Plaintiffs’ lawsuit is the desperate attempt of a rival studio to misuse its copyrights in order to kill a competitor’s project before it even gets off the ground,” said the answer Tuesday by Universal to the copyright infringement lawsuit from the duo that was first filed by MGM and Danjaq back on April 3 . Universal’s attempt to have the matter dismissed in late May was rejected by federal Judge James Otero in late September. “The similarities are sufficient to give rise to a claim for copyright infringement,” said Judge Otero in his recently released but heavily redacted decision. Today’s filing is another attempt to kick that can – from another angle so to speak. In their filing this spring, MGM and Danjaq claimed that Universal’s Section 6 project was a “ James Bond knockoff.” They … [Read more...] about Universal Hits Back At “Desperate” James Bond Lawsuit From MGM & 007 Producers

EXCLUSIVE: Kaley Cuoco , a two-time Emmy nominee for The Flight Attendant, has been tapped for a lead in Peacock’s dark comedic thriller Based On a True Story , from Emmy-nominated The Boys executive producer Craig Rosenberg, Ozark star/executive producer Jason Bateman and his Aggregate Films and UCP. I hear Cuoco has a two-season deal for Based On a True Story. There has been no Season 3 pickup for The Flight Attendant yet as creator Steve Yockey is bouncing around potential ideas but it appears likely; Cuoco’s Based On a True Story deal allows her to return to the HBO Max hit if the right premise comes along. Written by Rosenberg Inspired by a bizarre true event, Based On a True Story is about a realtor, a plumber and a former tennis star whose lives unexpectedly collide, exposing America’s obsession with true crime, murder and the slow close toilet seat. Cuoco will play a married woman named Ava Bartlett. All other details are being kept under wraps; I … [Read more...] about Kaley Cuoco To Star In ‘Based On A True Story’ Peacock Comedic Thriller Series

EXCLUSIVE: We hear on good authority that Zazie Beetz is in talks to reprise her role as Sophie Dumond in the Todd Phillips directed Warner Bros/DC sequel Joker : Folie à Deux. The movie, which is set to start shooting in December, will hit theaters on Oct. 4, 2024. Lady Gaga announced on social media recently that she’s joining the cast to the movie, which is rumored to be a musical, with the Oscar winner buzzed to play the Joker’s g.f. Harley Quinn. Joaquin Phoenix is also returning as Arthur Fleck. Beetz’s Sophie was the neighbor of Arthur Fleck; a single mom struggling in Gotham City. He had delusions of having a romance with her. Beetz recently starred in this past weekend’s No. 1 box office film, Bullet Train opposite Brad Pitt, which made over $60M worldwide. The Atlanta star was recently seen in season 3. She was nominated for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the Primetime Emmys for the Donald Glover FX series in 2018. She starred in the … [Read more...] about Zazie Beetz In Talks To Return For ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’

Rita Ora has filed a lawsuit against Roc Nation claiming her contract is unenforceable and violates California law, according to The Hollywood Reporter . Ora signed the contract in 2008 when she was 18 and claims that she has been “orphaned” from Jay Z’s company as it has changed personnel and expanded its business ventures. The suit makes reference to Roc Nation’s sports agency and the Jay Z-helmed streaming service Tidal, ultimately calling the company a “diminished” label with “only a handful of admittedly worthy heritage superstar artists.” Furthermore, the suit says Ora has been “self-funding her promotional television appearances, recording costs and other video projects.” She also allegedly remains tethered to a distribution deal at Sony that Roc Nation has neglected since signing a new deal with Universal in 2013. A representative for Ora declined to comment. Reps for Roc Nation and Jay Z did not immediately return requests for comment. The crux of … [Read more...] about Rita Ora Files Suit Seeking Split From Roc Nation

2ND UPDATE: I just got off the phone with top Hollywood litigator Bert Fields who tells me, “I intend to testify. I have nothing to hide. I have not been subpoenaed but if I am, I will show up and testify.” Asked why the feds said in pre-trial proceedings at the Pellicano trial today that Fields planned to take the Fifth Amendment rather than testify about his relationship with Hollywood private investigator Anthony Pellicano, Bert told me, “It’s complicated” and declined to reveal more than that. What a stunner of a day. First, the feds announced in federal court this morning that Fields, long considered Hollywood’s leading litigator who frequently hired The Pelican on cases, would be taking the Fifth Amendment when he’s called to testify in the Pellicano trial. The news immediately threw the pre-trial proceedings into a tizzy as prosecutors and defense attorneys tried to figure out its ramifications. So U.S. District Court Judge Dale Fischer scheduled a conference on the … [Read more...] about EXCLUSIVE! BERT FIELDS WILL TESTIFY (…And Won’t Take The Fifth)