Predator writers sue to recover Disney franchise rights

As reported by Deadline, Disney responded to the lawsuit filed by Jim and John Thomas by filing their own, saying the brothers were trying to prematurely terminate 20th century rights to the Hunters storyline as the studio works on development for another entry in franchise. the reviews do not meet these legal requirements and are invalid in law, ”says Disney’s own lawsuit suit, also filed today in federal court. “20th Century is seeking a declaration under 28 USC § 2201 that the defendants’ termination notices are invalid. This action is necessary because the defendants are unduly attempting to prematurely end the 20th century rights to the Hunters Scenario, just as the 20th century is investing a lot of time, money and effort into developing another part of its success Predator franchise.”

The original story follows.

Jim and John Thomas, the writers of Predator from 1987, filed a lawsuit against Disney in their attempt to reclaim the rights to the franchise.

As reported by THR, the Thomas brothers have filed a lawsuit in California and claim that Disney, the company that now owns 20th Century Fox, is getting in their way.

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The termination provision in copyright law states that after approximately 35 years for newer works, the original authors of a property can reverse transfers and terminate a studio’s hold over a property. franchise.

In 2019, that same issue arose over the rights to popular ’80s movie franchises like Terminator and Die Hard, which also arrive on their 35th anniversary.

Disney had planned a Predator reboot with 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg, but this termination notice, which the Thomas brothers first filed in 2016, could alter those plans.

The Thomas Brothers script, which was originally titled Hunters, was written in 1986, making 2021 the 35th anniversary of its creation.

The brothers are seeking a declaratory judgment and are represented by Marc Toberoff, who won a similar case with the Friday the 13th writer in 2018.

The original Predator starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and was followed by three sequels, a series of spinoff movies in Alien vs. Predator, several video games and much more.

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Adam Bankhurst is a news editor for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Tic.